ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Rail Travel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Attorney-General how many first class rail journeys were undertaken by staff in his Department between April 2010 and April 2011; and what the total cost was of such journeys.

Edward Garnier: None.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney-General what advice the Law Officers' Departments provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in those Departments.

Edward Garnier: The Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol), Attorney-General's Office (AGO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service (HMCPSI) do not currently operate any general intern, voluntary or work experience placement schemes. Anyone making inquiries about such types of working is advised of this position and would be routinely directed to the civil service website:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk
	where civil service jobs are advertised.
	HMCPSI does use some volunteers as lay inspectors but these would be recruited directly from charitable organisations with links to the criminal justice system.
	TSol also recruit some legal trainees via the Government Legal Service legal trainee scheme and at any given time has about 18 people on the scheme. In advance of commencing their training contracts, TSol also offers work experience to the trainees so that they have some familiarity with the organisation and the wider GLS.
	In the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) work experience placements and volunteer work are devolved and thus managed by individual CPS Areas. Each area advises applicants according to their own local arrangements.
	The CPS does not have an intern scheme, but refers those wishing to work as interns to websites with details of Government internship schemes.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) currently operates an internship scheme in conjunction with the University of Bath's BSc Business Administration and MSc Advanced Management Practice programmes. Students are recruited through an advertisement at the university and by holding competency based interviews.
	When appropriate the SFO also provides some work experience and work shadowing placements, however due to operational constraints the SFO are unable to provide resources to accede to every request received.

Human Trafficking

Jack Dromey: To ask the Attorney-General when he expects the Crown Prosecution Service to publish its public policy statement on the prosecution of cases involving human trafficking.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) expects to publish its public policy statement on the prosecution of cases involving human trafficking by the end of June.
	A public consultation on the draft public policy statement was held last year to seek a wide range of views on how the CPS handles cases involving victims of human trafficking offences. Each individual response has been reviewed and a summary of the responses received will be published at the same time as the public policy statement.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Dept of the Serjeant at Arms

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many members of the Serjeant at Arms Directorate there are in each payband.

John Thurso: At 1 April 2011, the full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in post were:
	
		
			 Pay band Staff numbers (full-time equivalent) 
			 SC1A 1 
			 SC1 1 
			 A1 1 
			 B1 3 
			 B2 3 
			 C 38 
			 D1l 8.79 
			 Total 55.79

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Divisions

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House how many divisions in the House of Commons took place after midnight in each session since 1980-81.

George Young: The Government do not keep a record of the times of divisions in the House of Commons. This information is however a matter of public record.

Oral Questions

Margot James: To ask the Leader of the House if he will reverse his decision to reduce the time allocation for question time for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to 45 minutes.

George Young: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 April 2011, Official Report, columns 347-48, to my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Miss McIntosh).
	Following a request from the official Opposition, the Government increased the time allocation for questions for oral answer to the Deputy Prime Minister. As a consequence of the pressures on the time available for oral questions, it was necessary for changes to be made to the questions rota.
	I have no current plans to reverse this decision, but it will be kept under review.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Responsibilities: Older People

Iain Wright: To ask the Prime Minister if he will appoint a Minister for Older People.

David Cameron: The Minister of State for Care Services, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow) and the Minister of State for Pensions, the hon. Member for Thornbury and Yate (Steve Webb), are responsible for a wide range of issues affecting older people. They jointly Chair the UK Advisory Forum on Ageing.

WALES

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by her Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

David Jones: The Wales Office does not own any property. The Department occupies a civil estate building in central London, and rents office accommodation in Cardiff.

SCOTLAND

Oil and Gas: Supplementary Charge

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect on Scotland of the change to the supplementary charge on profits on oil and gas.

Michael Moore: I have had discussions with many colleagues, including Treasury Ministers, Energy Ministers and senior representatives of the oil industry. As a result of the high oil prices, UK oil and gas production is more profitable. Therefore, it is fair for these companies to contribute more and this is why the Government increased the supplementary charge on profits from UK oil and gas production as part of the fair fuel stabiliser.

Work Programme

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the recent contracts awarded for the Work programme in Scotland.

Michael Moore: Over the past year, I have had numerous discussions with ministerial colleagues on the development of the Work programme. The Government are encouraging prime contractors to engage voluntary and private sector organisations in the delivery of the Work programme.

Universal Credit

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the implementation in Scotland of the Government's proposals for universal credit.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I are in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a range of issues concerning implementation of the universal credit in Scotland.

Forests

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on forestry policy.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State and I have had no such discussions. Forestry policy in Great Britain is normally discussed in correspondence between the Forestry Ministers for England, Scotland and Wales.

Roads

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had on the improvement of cross-border roads serving Hexham and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

David Mundell: Improvements to roads in Scotland are a devolved matter. Transport Scotland is responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network in Scotland. The Department for Transport and the Highways Agency consult directly with Transport Scotland and other bodies on any improvements of motorways and trunk roads in England, including cross-border roads.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Business Premises: Rents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the effects on new businesses of high commercial rents; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 3 May 2011
	High commercial rents would make it more difficult to set up new businesses. Commercial rents are set in the market, and high rents would reflect either strong local competition for premises or a local shortage of suitable business property.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision is made in his Department’s comprehensive spending review spending settlement for tax increment financing projects.

Bob Neill: As part of the Local Government Resource Review we are considering how to deliver Tax Increment Financing proposals against a context of greater retention of business rate revenues. The financing of capital investment under such schemes is from the increase in the business rate yield.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government participates in the Cabinet Office internship and work placement programmes and runs an internship programme with Greenwich university. All enquiries are directed to the Cabinet Office website.

Enterprise Zones

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often he expects to evaluate the success of enterprise zones; and what performance measure he plans to use for such evaluations.

Bob Neill: We will be working closely with all of the enterprise zones that are established to ensure that they can all benefit from the experience of the most successful.

Enterprise Zones

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to take steps to ensure that businesses located in enterprise zones do not substitute capital inputs for labour.

Bob Neill: Businesses in enterprise zones will benefit from business rate discounts. It will be for businesses, rather than Government, to decide how best to utilise this extra spending capacity.

Enterprise Zones

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has identified potential high value investors that he plans to attract to enterprise zones.

Bob Neill: The new local enterprise partnerships are at the heart of our commitment to establish the 21 enterprise zones across the UK. As business-led partnerships with a goal of driving sustainable economic growth across local economic areas, local enterprise partnerships are ideally placed to drive enterprise zones forward.
	Local enterprise partnerships will develop and implement enterprise zones in their areas, attracting those businesses which they consider will contribute most to local economic growth.

Enterprise Zones: Broadband

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision he has made for funding the development of superfast broadband in the proposed enterprise zones.

Bob Neill: As specific locations for enterprise zones are put forward, we will consider the broadband networks available in these areas and then decide the most appropriate form of support for market-led roll-out, including, if necessary, public funding.

Enterprise Zones: Finance

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blackpool South of 1 April 2011, Official Report, column 530W, on enterprise zones: finance, 
	(1)  how many businesses he estimates will save between (a) £0 and £9,999, (b) £10,000 and £49,999, (c) £50,000 and £99,999, (d) £100,000 and £149,999, (e) £150,000 and £199,999, (f) £200,000 and £249,999 and (g) £250,000 and £275,000 in business rates discounts in each enterprise zone announced in Budget 2011 in each year to 2015-16;
	(2)  how many businesses he expects will save the maximum of £275,000 over five years in each enterprise zone announced in the 2011 Budget.

Bob Neill: The Government have put forward a range of measures to develop enterprise zones and make them attractive places to do business. This includes a business rate discount of up to 100% for five years, subject to state aid limits.
	The level of discount available will be broadly dependant upon the size and type of business. It will be up to the Local Enterprise Partnerships to identify which type of business they need to attract to promote local growth and this will vary by area.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department’s Corporate Procurement Division has issued to fire authorities in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: The Department’s Corporate Procurement Division has issued no guidance to fire authorities in the last 12 months.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to fire authorities on the ethical implications of (a) domestic and (b) overseas contracts held by companies bidding for contracts with the Fire and Rescue Service in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: The Department has issued no guidance on the ethical implications of (a) domestic and (b) overseas contracts held by companies bidding for contracts with the Fire and Rescue Service to fire authorities in the last 12 months.

Fire Services: Private Sector

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many former Chief Fire Officers (CFO) took up posts in the private sector in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and what the average time was in each such year between a CFO leaving the public service and taking up a post in the private sector.

Bob Neill: This information is not held centrally.

Housing: Planning

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether he has considered the merits of making the completion of housing needs assessments for all age groups and across all tenures a mandatory requirement for local authorities when drawing up a neighbourhood plan;
	(2)  what mechanism he plans to put in place to ensure that neighbourhood forums and parish councils have access to adequate evidence on levels of local housing need across all tenures and age groups to draw up a neighbourhood plan that accurately reflects local need.

Greg Clark: Neighbourhood development plans will need to be in general conformity with strategic policies in the local development plan, which will have been informed by evidence on local housing need and tested at an independent examination. This evidence will be available to neighbourhood forums and parish councils in drawing up neighbourhood development plans.

Mobile Homes

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the general competency arrangements to be introduced under the provisions of the Localism Bill will allow local authorities to introduce a local requirement for owners of residential park homes to meet fit and proper person criteria.

Grant Shapps: The general competency power proposed in the Localism Bill will not allow local authorities to introduce a local requirement for owners of residential park home sites to meet fit and proper criteria. The proposed power does not give an authority any power beyond the powers of an ordinary individual—and individuals do not have licensing or other regulatory powers.
	I am aware of the problems many park home residents suffer at the hands of unscrupulous site owners, and the difficulties they often encounter in enforcing their rights. This is why, on 30 April, I transferred dispute resolution under the Mobile Homes Act 1983 from county courts to residential property tribunals, to provide a cheaper and less formal means for residents to enforce their rights. I also plan to consult shortly on improving the buying and selling process for park homes, to prevent the unreasonable blocking of residents' sales. 1 also plan, at the same time, to consult on a range of targeted measures to improve the site licensing regime that applies to park home sites to give local authorities better tools and resources to more effectively protect the health, safety and welfare of residents.

Planning

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to implement further planning reforms in addition to those within enterprise zones as part of the Government's plan for growth.

Greg Clark: The Plan for Growth sets out a range of planning reforms that the Government intends to implement, alongside the simplified planning regime proposed for Enterprise Zones.

Planning: Sustainable Development

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to publish a definition of sustainable development prior to the commencement of the National Planning Policy Framework consultation.

Bob Neill: The approach to defining sustainable development for planning purposes will be set out in the draft National Planning Policy Framework, to be published for consultation in the summer.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were on waiting lists for housing in each London borough in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Grant Shapps: The number of households registered on social housing waiting lists in each local authority, as at 1 April each year is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600. The link for this table is as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1783262.xls

TREASURY

Business: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much and what proportion of the total lending and additional lending to businesses for 2011 above the level in 2010 set out in the Project Merlin agreement is to be provided by each financial institution subject to that agreement; and how much such lending he estimates is attributable to (a) leasing and borrowing on the asset base, (b) invoice financing, (c) loans, (d) intra-group finance and (e) actual drawn down overdraft balances (i) in total and (ii) for each institution;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of the total lending and additional lending to businesses for 2011 above the level in 2010 set out in the Project Merlin agreement is to be provided by each financial institution subject to that agreement in respect of (a) actual overdraft drawn balances and (b) an increase in overdraft limit approvals for (i) all businesses and (ii) small and medium-sized enterprises;
	(3)  how much and what proportion of the total lending and additional lending for 2011 above the level in 2010 set out in the Project Merlin agreement is to be provided by each financial institution that is a result of approved overdraft limits where it has been indicated to business that the institution was willing to increase the approved overdraft limit prior to the business making an application.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 3 May 2011, Official Report, column 678W.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish the full design document for the Equitable Life compensation scheme.

Mark Hoban: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme design document will be laid before Parliament in the near future. The Treasury is in the process of finalising the detail of the Scheme design with its legal and actuarial advisers.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the review of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to begin.

Mark Hoban: The operation and governance of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) falls within the remit of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA has commenced a review of the funding model of the FSCS. They will proceed to a formal consultation once discussions on European directives affecting compensation arrangements have been concluded and the Government’s policy on the future role of the FSCS in the context of reform of the regulatory architecture for financial services has been settled.

Private Finance Initiative

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to report to Parliament his assessment of the amount of tax revenue forgone by the Government as a result of the tax position of payments under private finance initiative contracts to companies based outside the UK.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury has issued guidance to Departments which emphasises that Departments should base procurement decisions on the need to secure value for money, independent of any tax advantages which may arise from a bid.
	The Government are unable to comment on individual companies' tax arrangements. Any information relating to UK tax liabilities is held by HMRC on a confidential basis and therefore the requested information cannot be provided.

Stocks and Shares

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to protect the public and investors from irregularities concerning the issuing of asset-backed commercial paper third party notes.

Mark Hoban: The UK has worked closely with international partners to develop new regulation that puts the markets for asset-backed securities on a sounder footing. For example, new standards of transparency and higher capital requirements were proposed by the Basel Committee and have now been implemented across Europe through the Capital Requirements Directive.
	In addition, the Treasury, Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority are working with the UK securitisation industry to develop more consistent standards for UK securitisations.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Australia and New Zealand: Emigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals took up residence in (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Browne: British nationals resident overseas are not obliged to inform our embassies or consulates of their presence although we actively encourage them to do so.
	According to the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the number of UK nationals who have taken up residence in Australia in the last five years are:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009-10 25,738 
			 2008-09 30,590 
			 2007-08 28,029 
			 2006-07 31,401 
			 2005-06 32,152 
		
	
	According to the New Zealand Immigration Service, Department of Labour the number of UK nationals with approved residence in the last five years are:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009-10 7,773 
			 2008-09 8,641 
			 2007-08 10,030 
			 2006-07 12,273 
			 2005-06 14,674

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned at events in Bahrain. Although the immediate situation appears calmer, there continue to be many credible reports of human rights abuses. We urge the Government of Bahrain to meet all its human rights obligations and uphold political freedoms, equal access to justice and the rule of law. These do not run contrary to security, but are integral to longer term stability. Dialogue is the way to fulfil the aspirations of all Bahrainis. We urge all sides, including opposition groupings, to engage.

Departmental Work Experience

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many students from (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in his Department since 8 May 2010.

Henry Bellingham: Since 8 May 2010, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London has made 58 offers of internships. 50 of these positions were filled. In order to join the FCO, students must be a British citizen and must normally have been resident in the UK for at least two out of the last 10 years prior to their application. As such, all of the people appointed are from the UK.
	The FCO does not collect data from candidates regarding their electoral registration.

Khartoum: Human Rights

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of human rights abuses in response to recent protests in Khartoum.

Henry Bellingham: Our embassy in Khartoum followed these events closely. We understand that those arrested and detained following protests in Khartoum have now been released. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Sudan, and have made clear that they should ensure the Sudanese people are given the freedom to express their views.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the findings of the report of the UN Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka; and what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on establishing an independent human rights commission.

Alistair Burt: During my meeting with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 31 March 2011, I encouraged the Sri Lankan Government to engage constructively with the panel. Following publication of the panel's report, our high commission in Colombo attended briefings by the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister. We have used our contact to underline the need for constructive engagement by the Government with the UN to address the serious allegations raised in the panel report.
	We have raised with the Sri Lankan Government the importance of having an effective Human Rights Commission. We will monitor the work of their newly constituted Commission. We regularly discuss and co-ordinate on effective protection of human rights in Sri Lanka with international partners.

United Nations

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to contribute to cross-Government coordiantion of operationalisation of the final report of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights and Transnational Corporations.

Henry Bellingham: The UK is a strong supporter of Professor John Ruggie and the work he has done as the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights and Transnational Corporations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working with a range of interested Government Departments in respect of Professor Ruggie’s draft guiding principles on business and human rights which he is due to present to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2011.

Yemen: Politics and Government

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his counterpart in Yemen on the demonstration on 18 April 2011.

Alistair Burt: I am aware of the further use of lethal force to disperse protestors in Sana’a and Taiz in the period from 17-19 April 2011 resulting in the deaths of several demonstrators and injuries to many others. The use of live rounds and disproportionate force to quell demonstrations is not acceptable. I, along with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and our ambassador in Yemen, have impressed upon senior Yemeni officials the urgent need to respect the right to peaceful protest, to act with restraint and to urgently engage in dialogue to find a lasting political settlement.
	Our embassy officials have been in frequent contact with senior members of the Government of Yemen and their Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and EU counterparts. Regular meetings have been held with members of the official opposition, civil society and various youth movements, and we continue to monitor the situation.
	Intensive political negotiations have been undertaken by the international community during April to help facilitate a lasting agreement between stakeholders in Yemen. An UN envoy, Jamal Benomar, visited Yemen as part of an observation mission. This resulted in the UN Security Council discussing the situation in Yemen for the first time in a closed session on 19 April 2011. Following this, the GCC then brokered a revised transition deal between the ruling party and the official opposition group. I welcome reports that agreement is close and stated my strong support for the proposed settlement in a press release on 25 April 2011. Only through the formal signing of a political transition plan will further violence and continuing instability be avoided.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Apprenticeships

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many apprentices (a) his Department and (b) the arm’s length bodies for which he is responsible employed on the latest date for which information is available.

Jeremy Hunt: My Department employed five apprentices during 2010. The apprentices were supported during their time with the Department by Key Training who worked with them to gain their Level 2 qualifications.
	We do not collate this information for our arm’s length bodies. Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write to the hon. Member for Bury South.
	Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when the Creative Industry Council plans to hold its first meeting; how regularly it plans to meet subsequently; and whether it will be a permanent body.

Jeremy Hunt: The Creative Industries Council was formed at a round table chaired by myself and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 16 March this year, and will meet officially for the first time on 6 July. It is for the Council itself to decide on the frequency of its meetings, but it may meet every six months in order to keep strategic oversight of the work being done by the sub-groups it is planned to set up. I would expect the Council to continue while it is clear that it is adding value, and therefore has the commitment and active support of its members.

Arts

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what his policy objective is on widening access for underrepresented groups in art and cultural activities;
	(2)  what his policy objective is on widening participation in art and cultural activities.

Jeremy Hunt: Objectives for widening access and participation in the arts are set by Arts Council England. It is integral to the Arts Council mission to get more people attending and taking part in the arts, and that the arts reflect the diversity of contemporary England. The Arts Council's 10-year strategic framework ‘Achieving great art for everyone’:
	http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/about-us/a-strategic-framework-for-the-arts/
	includes the goal “More people experience and are inspired by the arts”. Focusing on long-term collaborative action, this strategic framework will enable the Arts Council to work with partners to create the conditions in which great art can be made, experienced and appreciated by as many people as possible.

Arts

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has held with the Secretaries of State for (a) Education and (b) Business, Innovation and Skills on the education and training needs of the creative industries.

Jeremy Hunt: The Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries has regular meetings with the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and I held a round table on 16 March and the Creative Industries Council will have its first meeting in July.

BBC

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Cabinet Office, (b) the BBC Trust and (c) other media organisations on establishing a common good communication council.

Jeremy Hunt: I have had no discussions with the Cabinet Office, BBC Trust or other media organisations about establishing a common good communication council since that proposal was recommended in the review of Government direct communication and the role of COI last month. However, my officials have been liaising with the Cabinet Office about possible future developments and the scope for the BBC and other broadcasters to explore innovative promotional collaborations with charities and the voluntary sector.

Broadband

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has set a target for the proportion of the population to have access to high-speed broadband.

Jeremy Hunt: No specific target has been set. The private sector has announced plans that will provide high speed broadband access to at least two-thirds of the population of the UK. The Government have allocated £530 million up to 2015 to support broadband rollout in those areas the market will not reach. We intend to use that money to support projects that will provide access to high-speed broadband to as many of the remaining third of the population as possible while ensuring a basic level of access to virtually everybody.
	It is our aim that by the end of this Parliament, the UK should boast the best superfast broadband in Europe and be up there with the very best in the world.

Film: Industry

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any winners of Academy Awards in 2011 received support from his Department in the last three years.

Jeremy Hunt: No. Government do not fund film makers directly, however several of the award winners have received support from the national lottery funding administered through The Film Fund managed by the UK Film Council (UKFC). For example, the principal Oscar winner, The King's Speech, received £1.02 million of lottery funding. It is important to note the same Film Lottery Fund mechanism used to support these films is now managed by the British Film Institute (BFI).

Film: Industry

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any UK Bafta Award winners in 2011 received support from his Department in the last three years.

Jeremy Hunt: No, Government do not fund film makers directly; however several of the award winners have received support from the national lottery through the Film Fund managed by the UK Film Council (UKFC). For example, The King's Speech, received £1.02 million of lottery funding. Other award nominees such as Made in Dagenham, Another Year and The Arbor, also benefitted from Film Fund Lottery support. It is important to note the Film Lottery Fund mechanism to support these films is currently being managed by the same team of individuals, now operating within the British Film Institute (BFI).

Horserace Totalisator Board

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what provisions he has put in place to prevent all or part of the Tote being re-sold shortly after its future is determined;
	(2)  what anti-embarrassment clauses he has put in place as part of the process to determine the future of the Tote;
	(3)  what weighting is being given to each of the stated criteria in the process to determine the future of the Tote;
	(4)  what assessment of the long-term effect on the (a) economy and (b) public purse is being made during the process to resolve the future of the Tote;
	(5)  what provision he has put in place to prevent the Tote being sold to an operator that bases its remote gambling platforms offshore;
	(6)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the outcome of the process to determine the future of the Tote is in the best interests of the horseracing industry.

John Penrose: For the time being the details of the process for resolving the future of the Tote remain commercially sensitive. I have already outlined as much as I can at this stage to Parliament, in written statements and adjournment debates, and I hope to announce more (including the name of any successful bidder) later in the spring in line with the timetable set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Budget 2011.

National Lottery

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many lottery terminals there are in England; and how many of these are in supermarket-owned premises.

John Penrose: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The hon. Lady’s researchers can find this information in Camelot’s Stakeholder Report 2010, in the ‘Stakeholder engagement’ section, under ‘Retailers’:
	http://www.camelotgroup.co.uk/stakeholderreport2010/03_StakeholderEngagementTable.html

NDPBs: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the total monetary value is of (a) bonus and (b) special payments paid to (i) executive directors and (ii) members of executive teams of each non-departmental public body and agency for which his Department is responsible in the last three financial years for which figures are available; what criteria were used for making such payments; and what proportion of the annual totals of such payments was paid from the public purse.

John Penrose: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The Department does not collate this information for its arm’s length bodies. Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Ofcom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what fee will be paid to Ofcom for the use of spectrum holdings held by (a) Vodafone, (b) Telefonica and (c) Everything Everywhere in the 2011-12 financial year.

Edward Vaizey: No fees are payable for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“3G”) spectrum auctioned in 2000 which included rights to use to 2021. The total fees payable for other spectrum holdings are £15,618,240 for Vodafone and for Telefonica O2. Everything Everywhere will pay £33,264,000.

Ofcom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when the method for calculating the fees paid by mobile operators to Ofcom for the use of radio spectrum was last revised.

Edward Vaizey: The method for calculation of fees was established in 1998. The Government’s Direction to Ofcom (20 December 2010) requires Ofcom to revise this to reflect the full market value of the spectrum after the auction for 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum has been completed.

Ofcom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what fee was paid to Ofcom in each financial year between 2007-08 and 2010-11 for the use of 1800 MHz spectrum by (a) Orange and (b) T-Mobile.

Edward Vaizey: For each year during the stated period Orange and T-Mobile paid £16,632,000 each to Ofcom.

Ofcom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what fee was paid to Ofcom in each financial year between 2007-08 and 2010-11 for the use of 900 MHz spectrum by (a) Vodafone and (b) O2 Telefonica.

Edward Vaizey: For each year during the stated period, Vodafone and Telefonica O2 paid £12,402,720 each to Ofcom.

Olympic Games 2012: Folk Dance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will discuss with representatives of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic games the inclusion of English traditional folk dance in the London 2012 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Pursuant to my reply to the hon. Member for Colchester of 13 July 2010, Official Report, column 615W, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic games (LOCOG) has appointed a world class group of creative experts to develop Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies that will reflect this country's rich and diverse culture and heritage. Where necessary, Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport meet LOCOG representatives about various London 2012 matters but creative decisions relating to the ceremonies are for LOCOG to take.

Public Holidays

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the Government's proposal to move the May day bank holiday.

Jeremy Hunt: Since the publication of the strategy, on the 4 March, the Department has received a wide range of correspondence relating to this issue from Members of Parliament, tourism organisations and members of the public. All correspondence will be taken into account in the consultation exercise.

UK Film Council

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost of closing the UK Film Council.

Jeremy Hunt: The negotiations affecting the final costs associated with the closure have yet to be fully completed and it would therefore be premature to give an estimate at this point.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change: Australia and New Zealand

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Australian and (b) New Zealand government on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change regularly discusses climate change issues with key international partners, including Australia and New Zealand.
	Most recently, he took part in discussions with Greg Combet, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, at the Major Economies Forum in Brussels last week. Earlier in April he met with Martin Ferguson, Australian Minister for Resources and Energy at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) held in Abu Dhabi where among other issues they discussed the Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Action Group under the CEM which is jointly led by Australia and the UK.

Electricity: Meters

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smart meters were installed into domestic properties in each of the last 24 months; how many domestic properties he estimates are without smart meters; and when he expects all domestic properties to have smart meters installed.

Charles Hendry: I expect the mass roll out of compliant smart meters to be completed in 2019. At present a relatively small number of households are receiving meters with smart functions from their suppliers.

Electricity: Meters

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has assessed the merits of deploying a standard smart meter containing uniform technology.

Charles Hendry: On 30 March 2011, DECC and Ofgem published the response to the consultation on the Smart Metering Prospectus on:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/smart_mtr_imp/smart_mtr_imp.aspx
	The response sets out the approach to developing minimum smart meter specifications to deliver interoperability to support the functioning of the competitive market.

Electricity: Meters

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) energy companies and (b) households of introducing smart meters;
	(2)  whether he has undertaken a recent impact assessment of the costs of introducing smart meters.

Charles Hendry: On 30 March 2011, DECC and Ofgem published the response to the consultation on the Smart Metering Prospectus on:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/smart_mtr_imp/smart_mtr_imp.aspx
	This was accompanied by revised impact assessments for the domestic and non-domestic smart meter roll-outs, which include the estimated costs to energy companies and households, as well as estimated benefits.

Electricity: Meters

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last discussed the roll-out of smart meters with representatives from the energy industry.

Charles Hendry: I regularly meet representatives of the energy industry to discuss various aspects of the roll-out of smart meters. The most recent formal meeting was 24 January 2011 when I met with a group of senior representatives of the major suppliers and other key stakeholders to discuss the roll out of smart meters, and have another meeting planned later this month.

Electricity: Meters

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average cost to energy retailers of supplying and installing a smart (a) gas and (b) electricity meter.

Charles Hendry: On 30 March 2011, DECC and Ofgem published the response to the consultation on the Smart Metering Prospectus on:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/smart_mtr_imp/smart_mtr_imp.aspx
	This was accompanied by revised impact assessments for the domestic and non-domestic smart meter roll-outs, which include estimates of costs of supplying and installing smart gas and electricity meters.

Electricity: Meters

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the introduction of smart metering facilitates a wider choice of tariff structures.

Charles Hendry: The roll-out of smart meters will facilitate more innovative energy tariffs in a variety of ways, including tariffs which vary by time-of-use. Many more such tariffs will be technically feasible with smart meters. Smart meters will also make it easier for consumers to switch, which over time will reward companies who make new tariff offerings that are attractive to consumers. Ofgem, the energy market regulator, will continue to monitor and regulate energy suppliers in order to promote competition and innovation, and to protect the interests of energy consumers. DECC and Ofgem are working closely together on smart meter roll-out, to ensure that suppliers have appropriate incentives and obligations to deliver smart meters and drive innovation.

Energy: Business

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the accessibility of the Green Deal marketplace to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to ensuring competition in all three customer-facing roles in the value chain: advisers, installers, and providers. The framework is intentionally flexible to enable multiple business models to compete. Chapter 3 of “The Green Deal: a Summary of the Government's Proposals”, published in December 2010, covers this in more detail and is available here:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/legislation/energybill/1010-green-deal-summary-proposals.pdf
	Annex 3 of the Green Deal Impact Assessment, also published in December 2010, includes a preliminary assessment of the impact of the Green Deal legislation on small and medium size enterprises. It covers the impact of the proposals on the structure of the market and the impact of additional administrative costs on smaller and medium sized enterprises. This assessment is informing the development of secondary legislation. The impact assessment is available here:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/legislation/energybill/1002-energy-bill-2011-ia-green-deal.pdf

Energy: Housing

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of homes that will be brought up to standard under the Green Deal in Swindon.

Gregory Barker: An estimate of the number of homes that will be brought up to standard under the Green Deal in Swindon has not been made. However, the Green Deal will be on offer to all households (in 2001 there were around 75,000 households in Swindon)(1) and there is no reason to believe that take-up in Swindon will be lower or higher than the national average.
	The Green Deal Impact Assessment(2), published alongside the Energy Bill in December 2010, presented illustrative scenarios in which between 7.1m and 11.5m measures are installed in homes through the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation by the end of 2020 across Great Britain. The maximum feasible potential by 2020 was estimated to be 16.4m measures. It would be expected that measures would continue to be installed under the Green Deal beyond 2020.
	(1) ( )http://www.places.communities.gov.uk/download.aspx?theme =7&geolevel=15&dataset=250&place=324
	(2) ( )http://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype=4& filepath=legislation%2fenergybill%2f1002-energy-bill-201l-ia-green-deal.pdf

Energy: Housing

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the reduction in carbon emissions from housing stock resulting from the introduction of the Green Deal if (a) 10% (b) 20% (c) 30% (d) 40% (e) 50% (f) 60% (g) 70% (h) 80% (i) 90% and (j) 100% housing stock took up a Green Deal package.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal Impact Assessment (IA)(1) published alongside the Energy Bill in December 2010 presented estimates of the “maximum feasible potential” from the residential sector (8.7MtCO2e in 2020, and lifetime savings of 287MtCO2e). The IA also presents illustrative low and high take-up scenarios. These scenarios suggest carbon savings in 2020 of 3.9 and 5.8MtCO2e or lifetime carbon savings of 126 and 193MtCO2e respectively.
	Assuming one measure per household, the “maximum feasible potential” could see 16.4m households receiving a measure, or around 60% of the housing stock. Under the low and high illustrative scenarios 7.1m and 11.5m households could receive a measure, or around 30% and 40% of the housing stock respectively.
	The illustrative scenarios present the number of measures installed over the period to 2020 taking into consideration a range of demand and supply-side barriers to rollout. For example, the “maximum feasible potential” scenario considers a world with no demand barriers and limited supply-side barriers, in which around 90% of the remaining loft and cavity walls are insulated and around 45% of the technical potential for solid wall insulation is installed by the end of 2020; additional feasible potential would be expected to be available after this date.
	The scenarios limit the range of insulation measures (loft, cavity wall, solid wall, party wall and door insulation, and glazing). Other measures may well be available under the Green Deal.
	(1) ( )http://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype=4& filepath=ligislation%2fenergybill%2f1002-engery-bill-2011-ia-green-deal.pdf

Oil: Refineries

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme on the operating costs of companies in the oil refining industry.

Gregory Barker: The cost impact will vary between participants depending on their size, type and success in reducing their energy bills through energy efficiency measures. Government have not undertaken any additional assessment on the impact of the CRC Energy Efficiency scheme on competition since publication of the final impact assessment in January 2010.
	The energy efficiency measures encouraged by the CRC can make organisations more competitive via the cost savings on their energy bills.
	Government are currently reviewing the interaction between the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) and the CRC as part of the CRC simplification review. This interaction is of particular relevance to the oil refinery industry.

Oil: Refineries

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what plans he has to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of diesel and jet fuel;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the international competitiveness of the UK oil refining industry in comparison to (a) other EU countries and (b) the rest of the world;
	(3)  what his policy is on incentives for investment in oil refining.

Charles Hendry: The UK operates within an international market for petroleum products. Levels of imports and exports have fluctuated over the past decade; a significant proportion of the products consumed in the UK are imported and a similar level of UK production is exported. We recognise that the UK’s demand for oil products has changed over the last 10 to 15 years, driven by growth in the aviation sector, the increasing numbers of diesel vehicles and a reduction in the use of oil for power generation.
	Work conducted for the Department by Wood Mackenzie(1) concluded that the position of UK refineries is middle to low relative to their European competition. This is due to structural factors (e.g. central European markets are landlocked and hence less open to imports and competition) and the fact that UK refineries process higher quality (and hence higher cost) North sea crude feedstock than is the case in much of Europe. Further work to assess the competitiveness of the sector in more detail is currently under way.
	The Government recognise that the retention of a refining sector in the UK offers benefits in terms of security of supply (balancing the risks between crude oil and refined product markets) as well as wider socio-economic benefits. Recent investment in several UK refineries demonstrates the continuing importance of this sector the UK. It is Government’s role to create the best conditions to ensure that the UK’s demand for petroleum products continues to be met; we are seeking to do this through ensuring that the legislative and regulatory framework provides an appropriate balance between meeting wider policy objectives such as environmental protection, ensuring that the international trade in petroleum products can continue and seeking to ensure that the legislative and regulatory framework does not place undue burdens upon domestic industry.
	(1) UK Downstream Oil Infrastructure—Final report, June 2009

Oil: Refineries

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent meetings he has had with oil refinery owners to discuss (a) future investment in the sector, (b) skills development and (c) the effects of environmental legislation on operating costs.

Charles Hendry: I have regular contact with the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA) which represents UK oil refiners including attendance at the Downstream Oil Industry Forum in January 2011 where trade associations including UKPIA represent the UK downstream oil industry sector.
	I have had no recent meetings with individual oil refinery owners specifically to discuss future investment in the sector, skills development and the effects of environmental legislation on operating costs. My officials have regular contact with oil refinery owners on a range of issues, and I am always happy to meet with oil refinery owners to discuss their importance to the sector and to the economy.

Oil: Refineries

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the membership of the Downstream Oil Industry Forum is; and on what occasions it has met since May 2010.

Charles Hendry: The Downstream Oil Industry Forum (DOIF) provides a forum for strategic engagement between the downstream oil sector and the Government. It meets twice a year and is chaired by DECC officials. Membership comprises representatives from: the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), the Downstream Fuel Association (DFA), the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS), UKLPG (acting on behalf of liquid petroleum gas distributors), the Tank Storage Association (TSA), RMI Petrol, representatives of the devolved Administrations and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Representatives of other organisations can be invited as necessary. The DOIF has met three times since May 2010; in July 2010, September 2010 and January 2011.

Thorium

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what plans he has for the future of thorium-based technology in the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has for the provision of funding for research and development of thorium technology in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Department is aware of the potential of thorium fuelled nuclear reactor designs and is in the process of assessing claims regarding its suitability as an alternative to uranium based reactors in the longer-term.
	The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir John Beddington, with input from a number of sources, recently co-ordinated an assessment of the prospects for research into advanced thorium reactors. Additionally, the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) undertook a recent independent assessment, in which it assessed a number of claims made by proponents of thorium fuel. The report can be found at:
	www.nnl.co.uk/positionpapers
	The conclusion was that, while the science is reasonably sound, developing reactors based on a thorium fuel cycle would carry major commercial risks. The resources required to develop these technologies to the point at which they might be deployed successfully at a commercial scale are also very significant.
	To date, both in the UK and elsewhere in the world, this has prevented private industry and Government from investing in the development of the technology. No thorium reactor design has been implemented beyond relatively small, experimental systems, while many either exist only on paper or have only had specific subsystems demonstrated. As an indicator of the challenge of taking this technology further, the Chinese Academy of Sciences estimates a development period of at least 20 years will be required before a demonstration thorium molten salt breeder reactor might be available.
	While thorium does not appear to have a part to play in the UK's near to mid-term energy market, we do maintain an interest in its development. The Secretary of State has asked the NNL to look further into the wider benefits of next generation reactor designs and to compare the use of thorium and uranium fuels in them. We are expecting the findings to be available by the end of the summer.

TRANSPORT

Blue Badge Scheme

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2011, Official Report, columns 451-52W, on the Blue Badge Scheme, if he will provide funding to local authorities sufficient to ensure that all people over the age of 65 years who cannot claim the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance can be issued with a Blue Badge under the eligible subject to further assessment criteria.

Norman Baker: Disabled people over the age of 65 can be issued with a Blue Badge if they meet one of the eligibility criteria in the regulations that govern the scheme. It would not be right to enable people to be issued with a badge solely on the basis of their age.
	Central Government do not provide local authorities with specific funding for their general responsibilities for administering and enforcing the Blue Badge scheme. However, from April 2011, control of funds for eligibility assessments transferred from the NHS to badge issuing local authorities. This was done as part of the Department for Health's £1.3 billion Learning Disability and Health Reform Grant. In 2011-12, the Health Reform aspect includes £5.4 million for the Blue Badge scheme.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the future of the (a) pension and (b) other entitlements of employees of his Department's Shared Service Centre in the event that it enters private ownership.

Norman Baker: Any transfer of shared services to a new provider will be subject to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) and applicable Cabinet Office guidance.
	The Treasury is currently conducting a review of the policy that applies to the pensions of staff who transfer from the public sector.

Departmental Manpower

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department were in the Civil Service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Norman Baker: Within the central Department and its seven executive agencies there are currently 161 staff in redeployment pools (of which 44 are in the central Department's redeployment pool). Fewer than five of the 161 staff have been in a redeployment pool for more than six months. These figures are accurate as at 15 April 2011.

Departmental Manpower

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public sector job reduction targets have been set for his Department and its non-departmental public bodies for each of the next 24 months; and what steps he plans to take to meet such targets.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and associated bodies have no specific job reduction targets. Following last year's spending review it is committed to a 33% reduction in the administration budget (composed of pay and non-pay costs) by the end of 2014-15. For estimates for changes in full-time equivalents for its non departmental bodies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 88W.

Departmental Manpower

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what requirements he plans to place on any private provider in respect of the location of his Department's Shared Service Centre and its associated jobs;
	(2)  what proportion of posts in his Department's Shared Service Centre in Swansea will be retained following privatisation.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport Board decided on 9 December 2010 that its preferred option for the Shared Service Centre in Swansea was that it would be sold to a private sector provider. In taking this decision, the Board has committed to buying shared services from the new owner for up to 10 years and plans to require the new owner to retain a significant presence in Swansea.
	The details of this are continuing to be developed as the Department moves towards launching a procurement process.

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), last used a ministerial car to travel in an official capacity on 3 May 2011.
	(b) The Minister of State, Department for Transport, the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), last used a ministerial car to travel in an official capacity on 24 March 2011.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), last used a ministerial car to travel in an official capacity on 27 April 2011.
	I last used a ministerial car to travel in an official capacity on 29 March 2011.
	(i) Information on the Secretary of State for Transport’s journeys to his constituency in a ministerial car is not held because he is provided with a ministerial car on a contract basis and journeys made within the contracted hours are not recorded individually. However, the Secretary of State has not used his car to travel to his constituency since May 2010.
	(ii) The Minister of State has not made any journeys to her constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.
	The Under-Secretary of State has made 102 journeys to his constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.
	I have made no journeys in a ministerial car to my constituency since May 2010.

Departmental Redundancy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants in his Department have been offered voluntary redundancy since April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Within the central Department and its seven executive agencies 469 staff have been, offered voluntary redundancy since 1 April 2010, not all of whom subsequently took it up. Of these 469 staff, 200 were from the central Department.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to his Department's consultation document on High Speed 2, page 119, if he will consider making provision for property blight compensation arising from the announcement of the recommended route on 21 December 2010 rather than one year after the railway is built.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The Government are currently consulting on a range of options for discretionary support (in addition to the assistance already provided under the statutory blight and compensation provisions) for owners of properties which experience a significant diminution in value as a result of proximity to any new high speed rail line between London and the west midlands. Respondents to the consultation may wish to provide comments on these options, or suggest alternative approaches, and the Government will consider these. No decisions will be taken on what option or options should be taken forward to the next stage until the consultation process has ended and all responses have been analysed.

Transport: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to reduce the local private finance initiative revenue budget; how much each action he plans to take will save; and how much will be saved through each action in each financial year of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  what financial provision his Department has made for the private finance initiative contract for highways maintenance in the Isle of Wight for the period beyond 2014-15; and what proportion this represents of his Department’s provision for private finance initiative projects in that period;
	(3)  what financial provision his Department has made for the private finance initiative contract for highways maintenance in the London borough of Hounslow for the period after 2014-15; and what proportion this constitutes of his Department’s provision for private finance initiative projects in that period;
	(4)  what his Department’s budget is for the private finance initiative project for highways maintenance in the Isle of Wight in each year between 2010-11 and 2014-15;
	(5)  what his Department’s budget is for the private finance initiative project for highways maintenance in the London Borough of Hounslow in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15;
	(6)  what financial provision his Department has made for the private finance initiative contracts for highways maintenance in Sheffield for the period after 2014-15; and what proportion this constitutes of his Department’s provision for private finance initiative projects in that period;
	(7)  what the budget is for his Department’s private finance initiative project for highways maintenance in Sheffield in each year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Norman Baker: Following the spending review announcement we have been working with promoters of the remaining 2(nd) round street lighting PFI projects, Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2 light rail scheme and highways maintenance projects in Sheffield, Isle of Wight and Hounslow, to ensure these projects are affordable.
	I can confirm we are on track to achieve an overall 5% reduction in the Department’s financial contribution to the remaining 2(nd) round street lighting projects and hope to make announcements on these projects soon.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the Department for Transport’s press notice issued on 24 March 2011 in regards to the other four schemes. This announced that we have been able to agree overall savings of 21% (over the life of these projects) in the Department’s contribution, while retaining the essential integrity of the schemes.
	These projects can now continue with their procurement processes and, subject to approval of a final business case, award the service contracts.
	The following table provides the Department’s annual grant to the Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield, Isle of Wight and London borough of Hounslow projects, if they achieve final approval.
	
		
			  £ million  
			 Name of PFI Project 2010-11 2011-12 2012-   13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16(   onwards   ) Percentage of Department’sprovision of PFI p   rojects beyond 2014-15 
			 Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2 0 0 0 33.9 35.4 35.4 11 
			 Sheffield Highways Maintenance 0 0 36.1 44.9 46.1 49.2 15 
			 Isle of Wight Highways Maintenance 0 0 0 15.3 17.1 19.8 6 
			 London borough of Hounslow Highways Maintenance 0 0 0.814 10.7 12.3 14.3 4

Transport: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent (a) regional input into transport policy and (b) funding decisions on projects in regions are devolved in England.

Norman Baker: In line with greater localism, the Government have already devolved many aspects of transport policy and funding to the local authority level, through for example simplifying and reforming local transport funding. The Government will announce how they intend to take forward further aspects of such devolution in due course.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Bread: Prices

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has conducted research into the sale of bread below cost price.

Edward Davey: The Department has not conducted any research into below cost selling of bread. The prices an enterprise charges for its products is primarily a commercial matter for the enterprise concerned.

Business

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what comparative assessments he has made of the (a) size and (b) contribution to the economy of UK mid-cap businesses.

Mark Prisk: Section 3.11 of “Financing a Private Sector Recovery”(1) states
	“Mid-sized firms (sometimes referred to as ‘mid-caps’) are defined here as having a turnover of £25 million to £500 million. Although there are only around 10,000 companies in this category, they account for around a third of total private sector employment in the UK because of their greater individual size.”
	(1) “Financing a Private Sector Recovery”, a consultation document published by BIS in September 2010
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/docs/f/10-1081-financing-private-sector-recovery.pdf

Business: Advisory Services

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to assist small businesses following the closure of the Business Link advice service.

Mark Prisk: The ‘Bigger, Better Business’ pamphlet published on 5 January, set out the Government’s plans for modernising the provision of publicly funded support, information and advice for business. The pamphlet can be found on the BIS website at:
	www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/enterprise/docs/b/11-515-bigger-better-business-helping-small-firms
	These plans include closure of the regional Business Link advisory service. This will enable Government to:
	focus publicly funded face-to-face advice on helping businesses with the potential to achieve high growth;
	improve the national Business Link website by offering on-line business information and tools tailored to the individual needs of businesses, supported by a new national contact centre for those who cannot access the information they need on the website;
	and engage with business mentoring providers and the British Banking Association to develop a mentoring network.
	The Government are establishing Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) that will develop links to existing private sector provision for business support and encourage their use. We are providing LEPs with information on the different Government programmes and access to funds to help their local communities.

Business: Advisory Services

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on small businesses of the closure of the Business Link advice service.

Mark Prisk: The Government are fundamentally changing the way in which it provides information and advice to small business. These changes are based on evidence and the views of the wider business community.
	These changes will:
	Focus public expenditure on intensive support to deliver growth, through Business Coaching for Growth—as high growth SMEs create nearly 50% of private sector job creation;
	Continue to improve the Business Link website to provide consistent, quality information to the majority of businesses as part of their interaction with Government, allowing 24 hrs access and using the latest technologies;
	Offer a new national telephone contact centre to support businesses that do not use the internet;
	Engage with business mentoring providers and the British Banking Association to develop a network of business mentors for small businesses—as SMEs prefer the advice of other business people and professionals;
	Allow Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to develop links to existing private sector provision for business support and access to funds to help meets local needs.

Cancer: Research

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Medical Research Council provided for research into (a) leukaemia, (b) brain cancer, (c) lung cancer, (d) colorectal cancer, (e) breast cancer and (f) prostate cancer in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) does not hold the information in the format requested. It would not be possible to undertake the necessary analysis in the time available.
	I understand from the MRC that they do intend to undertake analysis of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 data and this will be available in due course. Information for 2010-11 should be available later in autumn 2011. The MRC spends approximately £105 million (2009-10 data) on cancer and research relevant to cancer.

Community Interest Companies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many community interest companies were registered in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane) on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1252W.

Construction: Standards

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the number of pieces of work carried out by bodies accredited to the TrustMark scheme for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of complaints received by TrustMark on a member of a TrustMark scheme operator in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: I understand TrustMark’s estimate is that some 7.8 million pieces of work were carried out over the past five years by bodies accredited to the scheme; and that the level of complaints over this period equates to around one for every 7,500 pieces of work undertaken.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Edward Davey: The Department does not own any buildings.

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Edward Davey: BIS has one ministerial car which was last used in an official capacity by:
	my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 27 April;
	my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise on 14 April;
	my Noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on 12 April;
	my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science on 6 April;
	my Noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Investment on 29 March;
	my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Skills and Lifelong Learning on 2 March;
	and myself on 27 April.
	Numbers of journeys to constituencies since May 2010 could be provided only at disproportionate costs but the use of the car by Ministers is in line with Section 10 of the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Dates and numbers of trips by London Underground or public bus could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However Ministers do travel by public transport wherever possible, taking into account security requirements and other relevant considerations.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business.

Edward Davey: The Department has not paid for its Ministers to have Oyster or travel cards to use when travelling on Government business.
	All travel by Ministers is in alignment with Section 10 of the Ministerial Code issued in May 2010.

Earthquakes: Japan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will assess the potential effects of the recent East Japan earthquake on manufacturing production in the UK;
	(2)  whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of Japanese companies in the UK concerning the potential effects of the recent East Japan earthquake on industrial production by those companies in the UK.

Mark Prisk: BIS officials are in regular contact with a number of manufacturers including representatives of Japanese companies in the UK to discuss the situation and are continuing to monitor the impact of the earthquake.

Economic Growth

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to section 2.109 of the Plan for Growth, what criteria he plans to use to identify small and medium-sized enterprises with the potential to achieve rapid and significant growth; and what the evidence was for his estimate of the number of such companies.

Mark Prisk: Business Coaching for Growth will use the following criteria for selecting businesses with the potential to achieve high growth rates:
	SMEs with 10 or more employees with the potential to increase turnover or employment by an annual average rate of 20% over three years. SMEs with fewer than 10 employees that over three years have the potential to increase employment by at least seven employees or annual turnover by £0.75 million.
	Start-ups with potential to achieve turnover of £1m within three years of starting trading, or to have at least 10 employees within three years. Firms or consortia bidding for contracts to deliver Business Coaching for Growth will need to demonstrate, during the tendering process, how they will identify sufficient businesses that meet these criteria.
	Analysis of existing government datasets has established that these criteria will capture sufficient numbers of businesses who will benefit from being on the programme and deliver strong growth as a result.

Economic Growth

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial provision he has made for contracts for Business Coaching for Growth services; and what assessment he has made of the comparative value for money of such contracts and those previously provided by regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: As set out in the Official Journal of the European Union contract notice for Business Coaching for Growth, the value of the contracts is up to £173 million (excluding VAT) until the end of the current spending review period.
	The value for money case for Business Coaching for Growth was developed and agreed for the spending review in 2010 and it shows a strong economic return. There is limited evaluation evidence of existing, comparable regional development agencies programmes at this stage.

Economic Growth

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to allow venture capital firms to tender for contracts for Business Coaching for Growth services.

Mark Prisk: An impact assessment on the effects of extending the right to request flexible working to all employees will be published alongside the consultation on these proposals which is due to be launched shortly.

Economic Growth

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to set successful outcome targets for firms awarded contracts as service providers for Business Coaching for Growth.

Mark Prisk: The Memorandum of Information relating to the tender of the Business Coaching for Growth Programme sets out further information on the monitoring and evaluation of contracts and we expect to discuss this further with potential bidders through the procurement of the Business Coaching for Growth contracts. This will ensure the right targets for contractors are in place and as part of this we expect that outcome targets will be in place.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is committed to evaluating the delivery and economic impact of Business Coaching for Growth and providers of the service would be expected to support this process.

Economic Growth

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what measure he plans to use to assess progress against each of the measureable benchmarks set out in The Plan for Growth.

Edward Davey: Measures for the benchmarks set out in the plan for growth are being agreed between the relevant Departments and HM Treasury. HM Treasury and BIS have requested that the data sets that provide a headline measure for each of the benchmarks are contained within departmental business plans. Updated versions of these plans will be published shortly.

Economic Growth: EU Law

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria he used in the selection of outside bodies to work with his Department on consideration of the effect of EU legislation on growth opportunities.

Mark Prisk: Four UK companies, Balfour Beatty, GSK, Kingfisher and Tribeka, have agreed to work with Government to help find ways to improve European growth opportunities for UK businesses. The Government decided that a small group was optimal for working quickly and cohesively to identify evidence for how EU laws could be made more growth-friendly for the broader UK economy.
	The Government approached companies that trade in more than one EU member state in order to draw on their experience of the implementation and enforcement of EU law across member state borders. Also important to the Government's selection was that there be a range of business sizes and sectors represented so that the evidence gathered could be used for broadest possible affect on the UK economy.

Economic Growth: EU Law

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from GlaxoSmithKline on the effects of the implementation of EU legislation on growth and investment opportunities.

Mark Prisk: The Government are working with four companies, Balfour Beatty, GSK, Kingfisher and Tribeka, to find ways to improve European growth opportunities for UK businesses. We will publish these findings in a report by the end of the year.
	All four companies will have the opportunity to contribute to the report equally. The Government will focus on evidence that demonstrates where changes to EU law, including its implementation and enforcement, will have a positive impact on the sectors represented by our partners.

Economic Growth: EU Law

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects his Department's consideration of the effect of EU legislation on growth opportunities to be completed; and what plans he has to publish the outcome of that consideration.

Mark Prisk: The Government, working with their partners, Balfour Beatty, GSK, Kingfisher and Tribeka, will publish their findings on ways to improve growth opportunities for UK business by the end of this year.

Environment Protection: Exports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 715W, on low-carbon products: intellectual property, whether it is his policy to support the compulsory licensing of exports of environmentally-sound technologies to least-developed countries.

Edward Davey: Under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) governments are able to issue compulsory licenses on patented technologies. For Least Developed Countries (LDCs) this flexibility may have limited impact because they lack domestic manufacturing capability. Whilst TRIPS has been amended to enable compulsory licensing of pharmaceutical products for export to these countries, there is currently insufficient evidence that extending this to environmentally sound technologies would bring significant benefits.
	Compulsory licensing of pharmaceuticals for export has been used only once to date so it is not clear that this procedure encourages technology transfer. Compulsory licensing is also likely to be a strong disincentive to investment in technology innovation and is unlikely to encourage the transfer of know-how and tacit knowledge which is required to maintain and adapt technologies for local use. By contrast, voluntary licensing arrangements are more likely to foster longer term partnerships and bring about sustainable technology transfer. The UK is committed to providing incentives for business to promote technology transfer to LDCs as required by TRIPS Article 66.2.

EU External Trade: India

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what his policy is on the proposal for data exclusivity for generic drugs in the EU-India Free Trade Agreement;
	(2)  what his policy is on the inclusion of the manufacture and sale of generic drugs closely modelled on patented US and European products in the proposed EU-India Free Trade Agreement.

Edward Davey: The UK policy is to take a case-by-case approach to intellectual property rights within Free Trade Agreements between the European Union and developing countries. The level of intellectual property protection should be tailored to the trading partner's level of development. We stated in the recently published “Trade and Investment for Growth” White Paper that we would seek to ensure that provisions on intellectual property rights in EU free trade agreements did not have negative impacts on the ability of the poorest to access low cost medicines. We would consider any proposals made regarding data exclusivity in the EU-India agreement in the light of the available evidence.
	On 13 December 2010 both Indian and EU trade negotiators stated that nothing in the EU-India agreement would limit India's scope for developing and exporting life-saving medicines.

EU Grants and Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to align applications for the second round of the Regional Growth Fund to applications for the European Regional Development Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Officials in this Department and in the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) teams have worked closely together to align, where practical, the respective funds' bidding processes. Most ERDF programmes will be managing a simultaneous call for proposals to complement the timing of the Regional Growth Fund's second round, with the aim of encouraging applicants to maximise the available public resource. Applicants seeking to access ERDF will however need to comply with the application process and the ERDF specific project selection criteria.

EU Grants and Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Plan for Growth, page 65, by what mechanism the Government will play a significant role in deciding which interventions the European Regional Development Fund supports; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government wishes to see that the resources of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) are fully used to deliver the objectives of the Plan for Growth. To help achieve this we announced in February details on the future management of the ERDF within England. This included the decision to restructure existing Programme Monitoring Committees as Local Management Committees which can ensure that, within the parameters already agreed with the EU, government, local people and businesses can better influence the shape of the ERDF programmes and the projects that they can support, whilst ensuring compliance with EC rules.
	We will consider further reforms to the delivery of the ERDF within England during negotiations on the 2014-20 funding period.

Flexible Working

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of extending the right to request flexible working to parents of children over 18 on (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) larger enterprises.

Edward Davey: An Impact Assessment on the effects of extending the right to request flexible working to all employees will be published alongside the consultation on these proposals which is due to be launched shortly.

Flexible Working

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his timetable is for extending flexible working to all.

Edward Davey: The “Coalition Agreement: Our Programme for Government” set out the Government’s programme for the current Parliament. This committed to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, consulting with business on how best to do so.
	We intend to consult on extending the right to request flexible working to all employees shortly. This extension will require primary legislation so the full timetable will be subject to securing parliamentary time.

Gold

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Office of Fair Trading has taken to investigate practices of gold buying companies.

Edward Davey: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has recently taken enforcement action against a number of companies that offer to buy gold from consumers by post.
	Following an OFT investigation, which concluded in February 2011, a number of companies signed undertakings to make changes to their business practices. The undertakings related to alleged breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.
	The OFT investigation raised concerns that the business practices of these companies were not sufficiently transparent and people were being locked into accepting the offer made for their gold. The OFT was particularly concerned with the practice of sending consumers a payment, which if not rejected and returned within restrictive time periods, meant their 'silence' was taken as consent to the payment and their gold melted down. Gold buying companies are under a duty to trade fairly with consumers and should not seek to use unfair terms in their standard contracts with consumers. This enforcement action provided a clear signal to industry on acceptable trading practices in this area.

Graduates

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether information will be included in the Key Information Set for students on the number of students from each higher education institute who start their own business or become self-employed after leaving university.

David Willetts: This Government are committed to improving the information available to potential students to support them in making more informed choices on course and university. The Key Information Set (KIS) for each course will comprise the 16 items most requested by students, plus clear information on course costs. This will include information on: graduate salaries; percentage of graduates employed; and percentage in a full-time professional or managerial job.
	It is not currently proposed to include statistics on students starting their own businesses or moving into self employment. The Higher Education Funding Council for England consultation document provides further information.
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2010/10_31/
	Information on the percentage of graduates who are self employed is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency through the Destination of Leavers of Higher Education Survey. Additionally, 2011/12 graduates will be asked whether they are setting up their own business.

Hallmarking

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Birmingham Assay Office on his proposals for the future of hallmarks.

David Willetts: As part of the review of public bodies, the British Hallmarking Council was reviewed in August 2010 and I decided that it should be retained. The Birmingham Assay Office was consulted as part of this process. Hallmarking legislation is among the 21,000 regulations included in the Red Tape Challenge on which the Cabinet Office has invited views.

Higher Education: Access

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average household income in each socio-economic band used by his Department to monitor levels of access to higher education.

David Willetts: This Department has not published estimates of the average household income for each socio-economic group.
	Evidence on participation in higher education (HE) by Socio-Economic Status has been published in the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Performance indicators:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/2Q72/141/
	and in the Department’s Official Release “Full-time young participation by Social Class in 2010 (FYPSEC)”:
	http://stats.bis.gov.uk/UKSA/he/sa20100722.htm
	However, neither publication includes estimates of median income for the specified Social Class Groupings as income data cannot be sourced from the HESA dataset.
	The Socio-Economic status of students recorded in these publications is derived from the HESA student record and is based on an applicant’s parental occupation (or the occupation of the person contributing the highest income to the household if the applicant is aged 21 years or over) and uses a simplified version of the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC). Socio-economic status data are only available for home (UK domiciled) applicants. The latest figures on young entrants in HE by Socio-Economic Status are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Young  (1)   UK-domiciled full-time undergraduate entrants by socio-economic classification, UK Higher Education Institutions, academic years: 2009/10 
			 Socio-economic classification 2009/10 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 62.165 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 78.780 
			 Intermediate occupations 34,070 
			 Small employers and own account workers 20.885 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 13.590 
			 Semi-routine occupations 29.935 
			 Routine occupations 13,510 
			 Total known 252,930 
			   
			 Missing(2) 68,445 
			 (1) Covers entrants aged under 21. (2) Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing, ‘Never worked and long-term unemployed’ or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest live, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (MESA) Student Record

Higher Education: Admissions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of children (a) in receipt of and (b) not in receipt of free school meals went on to higher education in each local authority area in each year since 2001.

David Willetts: The table showing the number and percentage of maintained school pupils aged 15 in each local education authority who progressed to higher education by age 19 in 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08, respectively, will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Figures are not available for earlier years.
	These figures have been estimated using matched data from the National Pupil Database, the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and the Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record. Matched higher education data are only available from 2005/06. Figures for 2008/09 will be available in the autumn of 2011.

Higher Education: Reading Berkshire

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of schools in Reading East constituency sent at least one pupil to the University of (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge in each of the last 13 years.

David Willetts: Information has been supplied by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and is in the following table.
	
		
			 Schools in Reading East with applicants accepted to full-time undergraduate courses at Oxford University or University of Cambridge via UCAS 
			  Oxford University University of Cambridge 
			 Year of entry Number of schools with acceptances Percentage of schools with acceptances Number of schools with acceptances Percentage of schools with acceptances 
			 2001 4 40 5 50 
			 2002 6 67 5 56 
			 2003 5 56 5 56 
			 2004 3 43 6 86 
			 2005 3 33 5 56 
			 2006 6 67 5 56 
			 2007 5 56 5 56 
			 2008 4 44 4 44 
			 2009 5 56 5 56 
			 2010 5 56 4 44 
			 Notes: 1. Schools have been identified as those with a postcode in the Reading East parliamentary constituency. The figures cover schools classed by UCAS as comprehensive, grammar, independent and other secondary schools in England. Other kinds of centres have not contributed to this analysis. Only schools from which UCAS received applications in the cycle concerned have contributed to the proportion calculation. Figures do not account for students accepted to Oxford or Cambridge who applied directly, rather than via UCAS. 2. Detailed data on applications via secondary schools are only available from 2001. Data for earlier years have not been provided as the necessary reference data are not available. Source: UCAS

Intellectual Property

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the intellectual property review by Ian Hargreaves to be published.

Edward Davey: The Government expect to publish the report of Ian Hargreaves's Review of Intellectual Property and Growth shortly after the end of the election period on 5 May.

Music: Higher Education

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department's Higher Education White Paper will include provision for funding for specialist music institutions.

David Willetts: Colleges of music and conservatoires offer courses which are very popular and so we expect them to be in a strong position to attract fee income in future when most funding will follow the choices of students. Many of these institutions receive additional funding from the Funding Council to account for their small size or specialist nature, which are not recognised through the current mainstream funding formula. Whilst it is for the Funding Council to make decisions on grant allocations the Government will set out its priorities for continuing grant in the forthcoming higher education white paper. It will be our priority that in putting the new funding system in place we do not damage in the process those institutions with a world class reputation for the arts and music.

Power Line Technology Devices

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints his Department has received in respect of power line technology devices in the last 12 months.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not received any such complaints. Enforcement powers are delegated to the Office of Communication (Ofcom) where a radio spectrum protection or management issue occurs and it is they who deal with these complaints. Since July 2008 Ofcom has investigated a total of 219 reports of interference related to power line technology, of which only one is still awaiting resolution.

RBS and Lloyds TSB

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies have been declared insolvent as a result of insolvency procedures instigated by (a) RBS and (b) Lloyds TSB in each of the last six months.

Edward Davey: The available information is for company compulsory liquidations in England and Wales only. During the six months from July to December 2010 the number of cases where the insolvency was recorded as instigated by (a) RBS was 11 and by (b) Lloyds TSB was zero (that is, these companies were listed as being a petitioning creditor in the insolvency). These numbers are in the context of 2,277 new compulsory liquidations in total for the same period, and some 290 cases where the petitioner was unknown.
	Figures for the last three months (January to March 2011) will not be available until after the headline official statistics have been published. The Quarter 1 2011 Statistical Release will be available from 6 May on the Insolvency Service website:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/insolvency-statistics.htm

RBS and Lloyds TSB

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with (a) UK Financial Investments Ltd, (b) RBS and (c) Lloyds TSB on the use of insolvency practitioners with business customers.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not had discussions with UK Financial Investments Ltd., the Royal Bank of Scotland or Lloyds TSB on whether insolvency practitioners should be appointed in respect of business customers.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blackpool South of 7 December 2010, Official Report, columns 245-46W, on regional development agencies: assets, what the original purchase price was of each asset owned by the regional development agencies in each (a) region and (b) local enterprise partnership area.

Mark Prisk: Information on the original purchase price for every regional development agency asset is not available and could only be provided, where it was not commercially sensitive, at disproportionate cost.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which regional development agency assets in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) local enterprise partnership area are named in bids to the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: The Regional Growth Fund application form did not ask for information on regional development agency assets.

Regional Growth Fund: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what schemes have been submitted to the regional growth fund from the Sheffield city region; and what the status is of each scheme.

Mark Prisk: 21 bids were received from Sheffield city region in Round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund. Of these, the bid from Doncaster borough council has been given a conditional offer of funding which is subject to the outcome of the due diligence process.

Research: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each (a) funding council and (b) research council paid to each university in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: Data from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) can be provided only from financial year 2005-06 and will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Earlier years' data could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The rates of funding are derived from the total HEFCE recurrent teaching grant for universities. Other sources of funding including non-HEFCE grants such as from the Training and Development Agency, Learning and Skills Council, National Health Service etc and fee income are all excluded.
	To note, the figures include all payments made via HEFCE, including where they do so on behalf of other organisations. In particular, this includes:
	All funding for the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF);
	Funding allocations made to English HEIs by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC);
	Allocations of student support administered by HEFCE on behalf of the Department, such as Access to Learning Funds and student bursaries.
	The data are only available from the Research Councils for the period 2004-05 to 2008-09. Earlier years' data could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In this period the Research Councils provided £4,955,295,000 to higher education institutions (HEIs). A full breakdown by HEI, Research Council and year will also be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	As higher education is a reserved matter, it is not possible to provide details of the funding provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Scottish Funding Council, or from the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland.
	However, the publically available HESA reports ‘Finances of Higher Education Institutions’ and ‘Resources of HE Institutions’ provide data on the income received by all UK institutions from Funding Councils and Research Councils for the last 10 years. Due to accounting methods, this will be marginally different to the payments made from Funding Councils and Research Councils to universities.

Science and Innovation Network

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the future of the Science and Innovation Network; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The joint BIS/FCO Science and Innovation Network (SIN) will continue to play an important role in promoting and supporting UK science internationally. The two Departments will continue to fund SIN direct costs on a 50/50 basis with a flat cash budget. This positive outcome recognises the value of SIN in promoting UK prosperity and growth.
	SIN is currently based in UK Diplomatic Missions in 25 countries worldwide. It influences science and innovation policies internationally, to the benefit of the UK through lobbying and the deployment of robust scientific evidence and informs UK policy making by the identification of international best practice. The Network works to bring the best of international science and innovation together with the best in the UK.
	SIN works closely with UK Trade and Investment, Research Councils UK, universities and other key bodies in the UK science and innovation community in support of UK prosperity and growth. In order to keep pace with international trends SIN will extend its coverage to include strengthening science and innovation teams in Brazil and Russia and the creation of new teams in the middle east and Africa. At the same time the Government will maintain a strong SIN presence in the highest priority countries.

Small Businesses: Finance

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on trends in (a) levels of lending and (b) the cost of finance to small and medium-sized enterprises since his appointment.

Mark Prisk: The Department collects quantitative data on lending and costs of finance to SMEs from the four major lenders. These data are made publicly available and analysed on a quarterly basis by the Bank of England, through its ‘Trends in Lending’ publication.
	More information is available at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/trendsinlending.htm
	With regard to the cost of finance, the Bank of England also publishes information via its Credit Conditions Survey, the latest of which indicates that spreads over reference rates, and fees and commission have increased slightly for small businesses.
	In order to cross-reference this quantitative data, the Department also carries out regular surveys to gauge the needs and concerns of small businesses and identify the barriers that prevent them from fulfilling their potential, including the access to and cost of finance. The results of latest surveys—Annual Small Business Survey 2010 and Business Barometer February 2011—will shortly be available on the Department’s website.

Start Up Britain

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the organisers of the Start Up Britain campaign.

Mark Prisk: The Government supports Start Up Britain, a business-led campaign designed to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK. The Government joined forces with big business and entrepreneurs to celebrate its launch on 28 March. Before the launch the organisers gave a presentation of their plans to the Cabinet and I met them once. On the day of the launch, both myself and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills met them again.

Start Up Britain

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how he expects Start Up Britain to work with his Department to promote business start-ups in the UK.

Mark Prisk: The Start Up Britain campaign is an independent private-sector led initiative. The Government welcome this response to their ambition for an enterprise-led recovery, which complements the changes we are making to the way we deliver support to people who want to start and grow their businesses. BIS officials have arranged monthly meetings with the Start up Britain organisers to ensure Government ARE well-sighted on their activities. In addition Start up Britain is represented on a BIS working group looking at enterprise promotion.

Start Up Britain

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has estimated the average sum which a new business subscribing to Start Up Britain services will be required to pay in order to receive the full introductory discount offered.

Mark Prisk: The Start Up Britain campaign is an independent, private-sector led initiative which the Government wholeheartedly supports. The organisers have advised that:
	‘Over 50 private sector partners have been engaged in Start Up Britain, many of them offering discounts. While some offers require no purchase by the user (for example, free business cards or ad words), others require the user to buy something. For example, they might gain 10% off business insurance. The founders have not calculated the minimum or maximum a business would need to spend to save £1,500 and business people are encouraged to read and evaluate each offer on its own merits.’

Start Up Britain

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new startup businesses he expects to be established as a result of the information provided through the Start Up Britain website.

Mark Prisk: The Start Up Britain campaign is an independent, private-sector led initiative. Designed to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK, it has the full backing of the Government. According to the organisers, the campaign, which was launched on 28 March, aims to reach 250,000 businesses through its activities in its first year, and they will be working on further detailed key performance indicators as part of their plans for 2012. The Start Up Britain website had 108,000 visitors in its first month.

Start Up Britain

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial contribution his Department has made to the creation and maintenance of the Start Up Britain website since its establishment.

Mark Prisk: The Start Up Britain website is independently financed and free to access. The Department has made no financial contribution to the creation and maintenance of the website since its establishment.

Students: Fees and Charges

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether a foundation degree followed by a BA degree is classed as an end-on course; and whether such courses will be exempt from increases in tuition fees.

David Willetts: Yes, for the purposes of the Education (Student Support) Regulations an “end-on course” is a degree course taken immediately—that is to say without any break other than a vacation—after a foundation degree or other lower level qualification designated for support under those regulations. Students seeking top up qualifications in this way are treated as continuing their studies, and retain the support package and tuition charge arrangements that applied on their initial course.
	We will regulate to ensure that the new support and fee charging arrangements to be introduced from 2012/13 do not apply to students taking “end-on courses”. This will be subject to the conditions that the student keeps the same mode of study (principally whether the course is part-time or full-time) in the second course as he or she followed in the initial course and takes the second course immediately after the initial course has completed.

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the level of fraud in applications for loans made to the Student Loans Company; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Student Loans Company (SLC) undertook a study of identity fraud during the financial year 2009-10. This estimated that 1.6% of applications had some element of fraud. The company subsequently introduced new income and identity fraud prevention and detection checks, using a commercial provider to deliver electronic income and identity validation services during the application cycle. This work is linked to checks currently undertaken with HM Revenue and Customs to enable enhanced verification of household income against tax payer returns.
	The SLC and NHS Counter Fraud Service have both carried out fraud measurement exercises. The most recent estimates suggest that student finance related fraud, including in relation to NHS bursaries, costs £31 million a year.

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of successful applicants for student loans for tuition fees in each decile of earnings in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Comprehensive income information is not available for all tuition fee loan borrowers as tuition fee loans are not means-tested. Income details are only held for applicants who have also applied for some form of means-tested support. In addition, income details are not collected from continuing students who have indicated that their income has not changed significantly since the previous year.

Students: Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the likely level of non-repayment of student loans taken out to fund university tuition fees at an average tuition fee of (a) £7,500, (b) £8,000 and (c) £9,000.

David Willetts: The level of repayment of student loans taken out to fund university tuition fees, as well as loan for living costs, will depend on many factors such as: length of course, distribution of average fee, tuition fee loan take-up, maintenance loan take-up, terms of office for fair access agreements and economic growth.
	The main factors affecting (non-)repayment are the total debt on leaving higher education coupled with real earnings growth. Given these uncertainties, we estimate that the likely level of non-repayment of student loans will be around 30% of the total loan amount. The higher average loan amounts will have a slightly higher non-repayment percentage.

Supermarkets: Competition

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what powers he plans to provide to the proposed groceries code adjudicator; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Groceries Code Adjudicator draft Bill, which will be published shortly, will set out the proposed powers for the groceries code adjudicator.

Supermarkets: Competition

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what process will be used for the appointment of the proposed groceries code adjudicator; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The proposed groceries code adjudicator will be recruited through fair and open competition in line with Government guidance and good practice.

Tattooing

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider the merits of the regulation of the online sale of DIY tattoo kits; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The sale of DIY tattoo kits is covered by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR). These place a general duty on all suppliers/producers of consumer goods to supply products that are safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use, which includes providing consumers with appropriate warnings and instructions for use (together with sell by dates, age related warnings and other relevant information in the language of the market). Local authorities as the UK market surveillance authorities enforce the GPSR and will be able to take action when they consider an absence of any of these renders a product unsafe, including online sales.

TrustMark

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings his Department has had with representatives of TrustMark in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Department has regular meetings with representatives of TrustMark.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Sustainable Farming

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanism her Department has established to continue the work on animal health and welfare previously conducted by the regional sustainable food and farming strategy boards.

James Paice: As announced in my written ministerial statement on 26 April 2011, Official Report, columns 3-4WS, we are setting up a new Animal Health and Welfare Board for England to have responsibility for strategic animal health and welfare policy, and oversight of its delivery in relation to England. Groups within the new rural and farming network will, of course, be able to engage with Ministers on local animal health and welfare issues.

Biomass

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the forthcoming revision of the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol in relation to black carbon; whether she has made an assessment of the likely effect of any revision on the combustion of biomass in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The forthcoming revision of the UNECE Gothenburg Protocol provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of reducing black carbon as a component of particulate matter (PM) for both health and climate reasons. The proposal for an emissions ceiling for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the revised protocol will help to deliver reductions in black carbon out to 2020 while further work is carried out to develop emission inventories, ambient air quality monitoring and improve our understanding of control techniques for black carbon.
	To date, no assessment has been made of the likely effect of a revised protocol on the combustion of biomass in the UK. However, emissions from biomass combustion have the potential to adversely impact ambient air quality. Therefore, as announced in the Government's March 2011 document on the renewable heat incentive (RHI), emission limits for particulate matter (PM10) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) will be introduced in 2012 for biomass installations below 20MWth as eligibility criteria for RHI support. For further information see:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/What%20we%20do/UK%20energy%20supply/Energy%20mix/Renewable%20energy/policy/renewableheat/1387-renewable-heat-incentive.pdf
	The UK continues to fully participate in Gothenburg Protocol revision negotiations with the aim of agreeing a revised protocol that will continue the overall downward trajectory of air pollutant emissions and bring further environmental benefits across the UNECE region.

Coastal Erosion: Kent

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much will be spent on Kent's coastal defences by the Environment Agency in each of the four years commencing 2011-12. [Official Report, 9 May 2011, Vol. 527, c. 5MC.]

Richard Benyon: Total flood defence grant in aid for sea defences in Kent in 2011-12 is £15,019.40. This includes both capital and revenue funding.
	Finance for schemes beyond 2011-12 will be determined by the reforms which will be announced in due course following our recent consultation on future funding of flood and coastal erosion risk management in England.

Departmental Manpower

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) actual and (b) full-time equivalent staff have left her Department and its executive agencies since 31 January 2011.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 28 April 2011
	97 staff, 89 full-time equivalents, left DEFRA and its agencies between 31 January and 31 March 2011.

Departmental Manpower

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department have been appointed on a fixed-term contract for each job title and at each grade since 7 May 2010.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The information provided in the following table covers the period 7 May 2010 to 31 March 2011 and is for the core Department plus agencies.
	
		
			 Grade Headcount FTE 
			 AA 2 2.00 
			 AO 9 9.00 
			 EO 5 4.61 
			 HEO 10 10.00 
			 SEO 8 7.92 
			 Grade 7 0 0.00 
			 Grade 6 1 1.00 
			 SCS 2 2.00 
			 Total 37 36.53

Dogs: Tagging

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what her policy is on the introduction of compulsory microchipping for dogs;
	(2)  what her policy is on the permanent identification of dogs.

James Paice: A proposal for all dogs to be compulsorily microchipped was included in DEFRA's consultation on dangerous dog legislation. DEFRA received 1,875 responses on this issue, of which 84% were in favour and 16% opposed. We are currently working with groups such as the RSPCA to look at a range of issues raised in the consultation, including microchipping.

Elephants: Conservation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the adoption of an EU common position on the level of elephant protection provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the adoption of an EU common position on the level of elephant protection provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA officials are playing an active role in working with the European Commission and other member states to agree the strategy to be taken in preparing for, and negotiating at, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Standing Committee, due to be held in Geneva in August, where a range of elephant-related agenda items are expected.

Elephants: Conservation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to discourage future legal ivory sales within the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species framework.

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to discourage future legal ivory sales within the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species framework.

Richard Benyon: Future ivory sales will only be legal if agreed under a decision making mechanism which, in 2010, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species agreed should be produced by 2013. The UK is working with its EU partners to develop a robust line to be taken in future discussions, as well as calling for an early start to the development of a precautionary mechanism. I hope that line can be agreed as soon as possible to signal the precautionary line that the EU intends to take.

Elephants: Conservation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received on the killing of elephants in Chad in March and April 2011; and what support her Department is providing through international organisations to reduce the level of poaching of elephants in Central and West Africa.

Richard Benyon: No official reports of the apparent killings have been received, but we are liaising with the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) ‘Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants’ programme to assess the accuracy of the stories. The UK as a party to CITES supports its efforts to maintain or enhance countries' enforcement capabilities. In the second half of May, the UK will be participating in a CITES-organised rhino and elephant enforcement taskforce meeting which will exchange intelligence reports and methodologies and develop strategies to tackle the illegal trade in both animals across their ranges.

Elephants: Conservation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to deter UK tourists from bringing illegal ivory souvenirs into the UK.

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to deter UK tourists from bringing illegal ivory souvenirs into the UK.

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to deter UK tourists from bringing illegal ivory souvenirs into the UK.

Richard Benyon: The Directgov website, as well as those for DEFRA and the UK Border Agency, provides advice to travellers on purchasing and importing souvenirs of endangered species. It includes details of items, such as elephant ivory, whose international trade and importation into the UK is prohibited. In addition displays have been placed at major UK airports to inform travellers of the legislative requirements concerning such imports.

EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the evidence presented by the European Commission on whether the Saharawi people were consulted on their wishes in relation to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 31 March 2011
	The European Commission has not presented DEFRA with any information regarding consultation with the Saharawi people on the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement. The Commission has forwarded information which the Moroccan authorities submitted to it on how the EU funds allocated under the Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Morocco have been used. DEFRA is still assessing this information to see how the population of the Western Sahara have benefited.

Food: Supermarkets

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to limit the amount of fresh produce discarded by supermarkets.

Richard Benyon: Government are working with food manufacturers and retailers via the Courtauld Commitment, a responsibility deal on waste prevention. This includes an ambitious target to reduce traditional grocery product and packaging waste in the supply chain by 5% by the end of 2012 against a 2009 baseline, which covers food that reaches stores but does not get sold.
	Courtauld signatories are working with WRAP to identify and implement ways of reducing this waste; we also encourage industry to work with charities such as FareShare to ensure that good food does not go to waste.

Horse Passports

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the likely compliance with EU requirements of a regulation stipulating that horse passports should be voluntary, save that horses presenting at an abattoir should have a document listing recent veterinary medicines administered.

James Paice: We have no plans to make such an assessment. The current EU regulation requires all horses to be issued with a passport.

National Environment White Paper

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the publication of the (a) National Environment White Paper and (b) Water White Paper has been delayed; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The National Ecosystems Assessment (NEA) will form a key part of the evidence base for the Natural Environment White Paper. The independent co-chairs of the NEA have, in agreement with all funders, decided that the NEA will be published in June. This will allow key stakeholders to be briefed on the study, for some additional analysis, and for further engagement with the devolved Administrations following their, elections. The Natural Environment White Paper will therefore be published in June 2011, after the NEA, to allow for full inclusion of the evidence it provides.
	With regard to the Water White Paper, we have been examining the issues raised in the Walker review of charging for household water and sewerage services to develop a workable policy to support households that face water affordability pressures. We launched a consultation on our proposals on 5 April 2011 and expect to publish the Water White Paper in the autumn, once we have considered the issues raised in the consultation.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what projects in the UK have received funding from the EU Life+ programme.

Richard Benyon: LIFE+ currently funds '18 projects in the UK, information on which is provided in the following table. Further details of these projects can be found in a database on the European Commission's LIFE website.
	
		
			 Project title UK coordinator Project duration Total project costs (€) EC co-financing (€) 
			 Eco-animation: a cutting edge cartoon to raise awareness on climate change and sustainable use of natural resources among European children. Business Solutions Europa Ltd 1 January 2009 to 31 March 2011 541,092 258,371 
			 Anglesey and Lleyn Fens: Restoring alkaline and calcareous fens within the Corsydd Mon a Llyn SACs in Wales. Countryside Council for Wales 1 February 2009 to 31 December 2013 5,401,793 2,678,560 
			 Regional environmental networks for energy and water. Energy Savings Trust 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011 1,941,702 970,850 
			 European Pathway to Zero Waste: Demonstrating the route to zero waste to landfill via end waste protocols and building a recycling society. Environment Agency 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012 3,832,835 1,916,418 
		
	
	
		
			 Restore Rivers: Engaging, supporting and transferring knowledge for restoration in Europe. Environment Agency 1 September 2010 to 30 September 2013 1,794,567 872,753 
			 Improving guidance on regulations for enterprise and the environment. Environment Agency 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2013 5,272,074 2,597,037 
			 Electronic duty of care. Environment Agency 10 January 2011 to18 December 2014 4,176,500 2,088,250 
			 Green roofs against climate change. To establish a green roof code to support climate change mitigation and adaptation. Groundwork Sheffield 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011 914,213 454,905 
			 Hydro4Life: Hydropower sustainability assessment protocol: EU assessments, monitoring, capacity development and outreach. International Hydropower Association 1 September 2010 to 1 September 2013 1,283,637 641,818 
			 The Aide-Ore Estuary: Securing a sustainable future for wildlife. National Trust 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014 1,066,290 533,145 
			 MoorLIFE: Active blanket bog restoration in the South Pennine Moors. Peak District National Park Authority 1 April 2010 to 30 April 2015 6,690,856 5,018,142 
			 Reach for Polymers: Innovative instruments and methodologies to provide the European polymer industry with a solid technical background in support of REACH. Rapra Ltd 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2012 893,260 446,130 
			 Tackling climate change related threats to an important coastal SPA in Eastern England. RSPB 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2012 2,009,660 1,004,830 
			 Promoting the importance of the EU Birds Directive in conservation management on farmland. RSPB 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012 1,692,547 846,273 
			 Scottish Machair: Conserving machair habitats and species in a suite of Scottish Natura sites. RSPB 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013 2,735,031 1,367,515 
			 Reintroducing the great bustard Otis tarda to Southern England. RSPB 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2015 2,182,175 1,636,631 
			 Partnerships involving stakeholders in the Celtic Sea ecosystem. WWF-UK 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2012 2,103,888 1,022,753 
			 Irfon Special Area of Conservation Project. Wye and Usk Foundation 1 January 2010 to 15 September 2013 1,626,458 813,299

Rivers: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the proportion of rivers in Lancashire that are free for use as thoroughfares for canoeists and other river users.

Richard Benyon: It is estimated that about 4.4% of rivers in Lancashire have formal access for canoeing. This information is the best of our knowledge from research carried out by the University of Brighton in 2009-10 on behalf of the Environment Agency. It does not distinguish between stretches of river which may or may not be navigable for canoeists.

Salmon: Farms

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements her Department has put in place in respect of the frequency of reporting of levels of sea lice infestation by salmon farms.

Richard Benyon: Salmon farming is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government. As there is no saltwater farming of salmon in England, there are no requirements to monitor, or report, sea lice levels at such sites.

Sustainable Farming

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms exist for her Department to obtain independent advice about rural issues in the English regions following the winding up of the sustainable food and farming strategy boards.

James Paice: I recently announced our proposals for a network of new non-statutory groups representing rural interests, to give advice directly to Ministers on farming, food and rural issues. The groups will provide a direct line of communication to provide DEFRA Ministers with information and concerns from local rural and farming communities. We are calling for people from farming, food and rural affairs backgrounds to volunteer to be part of the local networks. Further information on the new network can be obtained from:
	http://www.rdpenetwork.org.uk/news-and-publications/network-news/rural-and-farming-network

Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place for implementation of policies across the land-based sector following the abolition of the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy.

James Paice: The new framework for delivery of DEFRA policies is set out in the Department's business plan. This includes the vision, priorities, actions and information strategy. The three key priority areas outlined in the plan are to:
	Support British farming and encourage sustainable food production.
	Enhance the environment and biodiversity to improve quality of life.
	Support a strong and sustainable green economy, resilient to climate change.
	Policies relating to the land-based sector will contribute to the implementation of all three priorities.

Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings she held with the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy regional chairman before taking the decision to abolish the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy.

James Paice: The Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy Regional Groups were funded until the end of March this year. Their chairmen met with senior DEFRA officials in February to discuss how they could contribute to developing new arrangements, under a Big Society approach, for self-supporting local groups that will be able to give advice directly to Ministers on farming, food and rural issues.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Accountability: Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to discuss the regulation of elections for directly-elected police and crime commissioners under the provisions of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.

Mark Harper: My officials have been working closely with their counterparts at the Home Department on the provisions which will be required in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill and accompanying legislation to allow for the conduct and regulation of elections for directly-elected police and crime commissioners. This work is designed to ensure that a consistent approach is taken for the regulation and conduct of statutory elections across the UK.

Mayors

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to discuss the regulation of referendums for directly-elected mayors under the provisions of the Localism Bill.

Mark Harper: My officials are in regular contact with their counterparts at the Department for Communities and Local Government on the provisions which will be required in the Localism Bill and accompanying legislation to allow for the conduct and regulation of referendums for directly-elected mayors. This communication is designed to ensure that a consistent approach is taken for the regulation and conduct of statutory elections and referendums across the UK.

CABINET OFFICE

Charitable Donations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, columns 871-2W, on voluntary organisations, how his Department plans to measure the effectiveness of its initiative to increase levels of giving.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office programmes aimed at increasing levels of giving are currently being developed, and consideration will be given on how to measure effectiveness of these programmes. The Cabinet Office will also continue to draw on independent analysis from external resources for information on trends in giving.

Charities: Kent

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many organisations have (a) applied for and (b) been awarded an allocation from the Transition Fund in (i) Chatham and Aylesford constituency, (ii) Medway constituency, (iii) Tonbridge and Malling constituency and (iv) Kent.

Nick Hurd: There were no applications to the Transition Fund from Chatham and Aylesford or Medway. Two applications were received from organisations in Tonbridge and Malling. Of these one organisation has already received an award and the other has received an offer. There were 24 applications from organisations in Kent. Of these, two of have been awarded grants and 11 have received an offer.

Departmental Stationery

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of paper and office supplies used in 10 Downing street were from (a) renewable, (b) recycled or (c) sustainable sources in the latest period for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office, and the answer provided is therefore for the whole of the Cabinet Office.
	In line with Cabinet Office policy, all paper purchased for use in multi-function devices and printers is 100% recycled. During the period January 2011 to March 2011, 15.3% of spend on all other office supplies purchased by the Cabinet Office, including pens, rulers and staplers, was defined as being ‘sustainable’. During the same period last year 14.15% of office supplies purchased by the Cabinet Office was defined as being ‘sustainable’.

Low Pay

Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) women and (b) men had earnings below the lower earnings limit in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) women and (b) men had earnings below the lower earnings limit in each year of the last five years. (53842)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. ASHE methodology cannot be used to provide estimates of the numbers of employees whose earnings is less than a specific amount, but can be used to provide estimates of percentage of employees in that category. Estimates are for single jobs and not for total employment earnings.
	The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	I attach a table showing the percentage of female and male UK employees earning below the lower earnings limit for the years 2006-2010.
	
		
			 Percentage of United Kingdom employee jobs  (1)   earning below the lower earnings limit 
			   All employees Full-time employees Part-time employees 
			  Lower earnings limit (£ per week) Male Female Male Female Male Female 
			 2006 84 3.2 10.0 <0.1 <0.1 28.4 24.0 
			 2007 87 3.1 9.9 <0.1 <0.1 27.3 23.5 
			 2008 90 3.3 10.2 <0.1 <0.1 28.0 24.4 
			 2009 95 3.6 10.5 <0.1 <0.1 29.0 24.8 
			 2010 97 3.9 10.6 <0.1 <0.1 30.2 24.9 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. As at April each year. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Public Data Corporation

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects the proposed Public Data Corporation to be established; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: We are continuing to work on proposals for a Public Data Corporation which achieve all the objectives which were initially set out on 12 January 2011 and then updated at Budget. Our intent remains to put in place a coherent data policy framework by autumn 2011. We are also considering the merits of machinery of government changes to facilitate the development of a Public Data Corporation (PDC) through a sponsoring department and the subsequent establishment of a PDC Shadow Board.

Public Data Corporation

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which (a) Government organisations, (b) datasets and (c) licensing arrangements he expects to come within the remit of the proposed Public Data Corporation.

Francis Maude: There are many organisations in the public sector which hold and manage information. Not all organisations holding significant public sector information will be suitable for inclusion within the Public Data Corporation. Important considerations will be how and to what extent the information is made available to its customers (other parts of Government, businesses and citizens), and whether products and services form part of the organisation’s ‘public task’ or whether they are a by product in the organisation’s business model. Final decisions on inclusion of bodies and datasets will be taken in light of this work. Until decisions are taken it would be premature to announce which bodies may be involved.
	While the majority of public sector information will be available under the Open Government License (OGL), there are some instances where this is not possible e.g. where third party intellectual property rights are present, or where charges are required to ensure the sustainability and quality of the data. Work over the coming months will focus on harmonising and simplifying licensing arrangements that can be used as a basis for licensing where the OGL is not appropriate.

Public Data Corporation

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) remit and (b) activities will be of the proposed Public Data Corporation.

Francis Maude: This initiative is about bringing together some of our most valuable public sector information and the organisations that collect, hold and manage that information, in order to deliver multiple benefits to the public, business, the public purse, and government.
	The individual organisations that are taken within the Public Data Corporation will continue to carry out their current functions, eg collecting and maintaining data, producing information, providing value-added services. What the Public Data Corporation offers is the opportunity to create a centre of excellence for the collecting, holding and managing of different organisations' data. Other benefits include:
	Adopting a more consistent approach towards access to and accessibility of public sector information;
	creating more opportunities for citizens, social enterprises and businesses to use public sector data in new and innovative ways;
	identifying how data Government already hold can be used more effectively to provide better and cheaper public services; and
	creating more certainty and predictability—encouraging businesses to invest in and develop new and innovative products and applications based on data. It will also provide opportunities for private investment in the corporation, reinforcing and accelerating the development of these world class assets and their contribution to the knowledge economy.

Third Sector: Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps the Office for Civil Society is taking to prevent any disproportionate negative effects on black and minority ethnic organisations in the selection of its strategic partners.

Nick Hurd: The Office for Civil Society’s (OCS’s) Strategic Partners are required to fully represent black and minority ethnic organisations.

JUSTICE

First Tier Tax Tribunal

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases went to the first tier tax tribunal or its predecessor in each year from 2005 to 2010; and what the outcome of the tribunal process was in those cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: The First-tier Tax Chamber was created in April 2009. Prior to that date, tax appeals were heard by the VAT and Duties Tribunal, the Special Commissioners of Income Tax and the General Commissioners of Income Tax. The number of appeals received by the VAT and Duties Tribunal and the Special Commissioners of Income Tax from 2004-05 is in the following table:
	
		
			 Tax appeal receipts 
			 Financial year VAT and duties Special Commissioners of Income Tax 
			 2004-05 3,900 210 
			 2005-06 2,700 490 
			 2006-07 3,500 300 
			 2007-08 3,900 260 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 5,400 420 
			 Source: Annual Statistics for Tribunals Service (numbers rounded) 
		
	
	No central data was collected by Government on the number of appeals dealt with by the General Commissioners of Income Tax. As part of the preparations for the implementation of the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber), data was collated and agreed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Tribunals Service for the year 2006-07. During that year, it was estimated that 9,500 cases were heard before the General Commissioners. No other data are available for the years prior to April 2009.
	Receipts by the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) since 2009 are given in the following table:
	
		
			 First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) 
			 Financial year Receipts 
			 2009-10 10,400 
			 2010-11(1) 9,000 
			 (1 )First three quarters’ data from quarterly statistics publication; fourth quarter is provisional pending quarter 4 publication 
		
	
	The tribunal’s database does not have the facility to extract the outcome of appeals. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost by checking individual records of all appeals.

Courts: Closures

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has carried out an equality impact assessment of the effect of proposed court closures on (a) women and (b) children under 16 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Equality impact assessments were produced to accompany the consultation response papers on the provision of court services in each of the former HM Courts Service Areas. The response papers, impact assessments and equality impact assessments are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations-closed-with-response.htm

Courts: Closures

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of court closures on the time taken to (a) initiate and (b) complete in care proceedings in England and Wales.

Jonathan Djanogly: The impact assessments accompanying the consultation response papers assume that court estate rationalisation does not impact on service delivery. As the volume of work is not expected to rise or fall as a result of estate rationalisation and there is sufficient capacity at recipient courts to undertake work from closing courts, it is not anticipated that timeliness of care proceedings will be significantly affected.
	The majority of courts that will close are generally the smallest magistrates courts, which will have very low volumes, if any, of family business. HM Courts and Tribunals Service will carefully manage the transfer of workload and administration using the detailed implementation plans that are being developed for each court that is closed.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) convictions, (b) cautions and (c) fixed penalty notices there have been in respect of people arrested for speeding offences in Suffolk (i) in total and (ii) on (A) the A143 and (B) the A14 in each year since 1997.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for speeding offences in Suffolk police force area for the years 1997 to 2009 (latest available) is in table 1.
	Cautions for motoring are not collated centrally.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 will be available on 26 May 2011.
	It is not possible to identify from data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice those convictions or cautions which occurred in the A143 or A14. This information will only be held on individual court file records.
	Arrests data are held by the Home Office who provided the following information:
	Data on arrests are published in chapter one of the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin Police Powers and Procedures. Arrests data collected are not broken down beyond offence groups such as “violence against the person” or “sexual offences” and specific offences such as speeding offences are unavailable.
	Data on the number of Fixed Penalty notices issued for the offence of speeding in Suffolk police force area for the years 1997 to 2009 is in table 2.
	It is not possible from data held by the Home office to identify those fixed penalty notices that have arisen as a result of an arrest. Neither is it possible to identify those fixed penalty notices which occurred in the A143 or A14 area as this information is not held centrally, and will only be held on police file records.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of persons found guilty at all courts for speeding offences in Suffolk police force area, from 1997 to 2009  (1,2,3) 
			 Offence class 816 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Found guilty 990 1,380 1,581 1,166 1,184 1,239 734 1,775 3,156 2,965 3,300 3,595 3,499 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 The number of Fixed Penalty notices issued for the offence of speeding in Suffolk police force area for the years 1997 to 2009 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Fixed Penalty Notice 7,271 12,640 18,088 12,596 12,416 9,477 16,606 40,847 40,029 34,442 30,378 34,678 42,055 
			 Source: Police Personnel, Powers and Procedures, Home Office

Crime: Nature Conservation

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there were for offences under wildlife protection legislation in each criminal justice area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for wildlife related offences, by police force area in England and Wales, 2009 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for wildlife related offences, by police force area 2009  (1,2,3) 
			 Police force area Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981  (4) Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Deer Act 1991 Control of Trade in Endangered (Enforcement) Species Regulation 1997 Conservation of Seals Act 1970 Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 
			 Avon and Somerset — — — — — — 
			 Bedfordshire — — — — — 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 — — — — — 
			 Cheshire 2 5 — 1 — — 
			 City of London — — — — — — 
			 Cleveland — — — — — — 
			 Cumbria 2 — — — — — 
			 Derbyshire — — — — — — 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3 2 1 — — — 
			 Dorset 1 — — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — — — 
			 Essex 1 1 — — 7 — 
			 Gloucestershire — 1 — — — — 
			 Greater Manchester 1 — — — 1 — 
			 Hampshire — 1 — — — — 
			 Hertfordshire — 1 — — — — 
			 Humberside — — — — — — 
			 Kent — — — — — — 
			 Lancashire — 1 — — — — 
			 Leicestershire 2 — — — — — 
			 Lincolnshire 1 —  — — 1 
			 Merseyside 1 1 — — — 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 2 — — — — — 
			 Norfolk — — — — — — 
			 North Yorkshire 2 — — — — — 
			 Northamptonshire — — — — — — 
			 Northumbria 2 — — — 4 — 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 2 — — — — 
			 South Yorkshire 1 — — — — — 
			 Staffordshire — — — — — — 
			 Suffolk 1 3 1 — — — 
			 Surrey — — — 1 1 — 
			 Sussex — — — — — 1 
			 Thames Valley 1 — — — — — 
			 Warwickshire — — — — — — 
			 West Mercia 2 2 — 1 — — 
			 West Midlands — 1 — — — 1 
			 West Yorkshire 3 — — — 1 — 
			 Wiltshire — — — — — — 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 — — — — — 
			 Gwent 1 — — — — — 
			 North Wales 1 1 — — — — 
			 South Wales — 8 — — 1 — 
		
	
	
		
			 England and Wales 33 30 2 3 15 5 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure (hat the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Only those forces are shown where data have been reported. (4) Excludes offence “Protection of wild plants” as it forms part of a miscellaneous code which cannot be identified separately. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice estate occupies around 2,140 properties as of September 2010, the most recent period for which we have verified data. This consists of freehold, leasehold premises and other holdings used under a memorandum of terms of occupancy. To disaggregate this figure and to give the name and address for each freehold property would incur disproportionate cost. However, this information will be updated and available on the Cabinet Office website in the near future.
	The total number of properties occupied consists of:
	135 prisons;
	624 courts;
	680 probation premises;
	49 tribunal premises;
	189 other administrative buildings;
	approximately 270 residential premises (prison officer accommodation, judges lodgings, etc.); and
	approximately 200 other properties (car parks, storage, etc).
	The market value of assets is commercially confidential.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department does not currently run a scheme to offer work experience placement and internships to students so there is no published guidance available on this.
	Advice and guidance for people wishing to volunteer within the field of justice is provided on DirectGov. This includes information on opportunities such as becoming a magistrate, supporting victims and witnesses of crime, and working with young offenders.

Departmental Work Experience

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many students from (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in his Department since 8 May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: Five UK students were offered placements through the Cabinet Office Summer Development Programme in 2010. None of these were from Bassetlaw constituency. No other internships have been offered to (a) students from the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency since 8 May, 2010.

Driving Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many drivers convicted of driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs in each police authority area in the East of England in each year since 2009 had previous convictions for the same offence.

Crispin Blunt: The figures requested are provided in the table, for offenders sentenced in 2009. The figures are on the same basis and from the same data set used for Table 6.4 of ‘Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales, 2009’ which can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	and equivalent criminal history statistics for 2010 will be published on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Offenders sentenced in 2009 in the East of England for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs1 and the number with a previous conviction or caution for an offence of this kind by police force area 
			  Number of offenders convicted and sentenced for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs Number of these offenders with a previous conviction or caution for an offence of this kind Percentage of these offenders with a previous conviction or caution for an offence of this kind 
			 Bedfordshire 697 177 25.4 
			 Cambridgeshire 857 174 20.3 
			 Essex 2,281 545 23.9 
			 Hertfordshire 1,470 340 23.1 
			 Norfolk 854 228 26.7 
			 Suffolk 769 156 20.3 
			 1. Including offences of failing to provide a specimen of blood or breath 2. The figures relate to occasions when an offender was sentenced in 2009 when the primary offence related to driving under the influence of drink or drugs, and to the number of these offenders who at that time had at least one previous conviction or caution for one of these offences. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer (PNC), which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many Employment and Support Allowance appeals were adjourned in each year since October 2008; what proportion of the total number of appeals this represented for each year since October 2008; and how many of these adjourned appeals in each year since October 2008 were classified in each category;
	(2)  what definitions the Tribunals Service uses of data relating to the adjournment of hearings for Employment and Support Allowance appeals that are (a) Tribunal not ready to proceed, (b) Admin not ready to proceed, (c) Applicant not ready to proceeds and, (d) First tier agency not ready to proceed.

Jonathan Djanogly: The number of employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals received and adjourned in each year since October 2008, together with a breakdown of the adjourned appeals by category is set out in the following two tables:
	
		
			 Number of ESA appeals adjourned   (1) 
			  October 2008-March 2009   (2) April 2009-March 2010 April 2010-February 2011   (3) 
			 Number of ESA appeals received(4)  1,320 127,000 178,000 
			 Number of ESA appeals listed for hearing 33 63,400 138,000 
			 Number of ESA appeals adjourned(5)  6 8,100 16,900 
			 Percentage of appeals received to appeals adjourned 0.5 6.4 9.5 
			 Percentage of appeals listed to appeals adjourned 18.1 12.8 12.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Adjournment reasons as recorded at hearing   (6) 
			  October 2008-March 2009   (7) April 2009-March 2010 April 2010-February 2011 
			 Tribunal not ready to proceed 4 5,100 11,000 
			 Administrators not ready to proceed 2 440 850 
			 Applicant not ready to proceed 0 2,500 4,700 
			 First tier agency not ready to proceed 0 90 360 
			 (1) This case data has been rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 with the exception of the 2008-9 data when the numbers are too low for this rounding protocol to apply. (2) The first ESA appeals were received by Tribunal Service (TS) in January 2009. (3) SSCS data has been published to 28 February 2011. (4) This is all ESA appeals received by TS in the period. They will not all proceed to a hearing. (5) This is all the case hearings adjourned in the period. A case may be adjourned more than once. (6) The adjournment reason is determined by the Tribunal judge adjourning the case hearing. (7 )The first ESA appeals were received by TS in January 2009. 
		
	
	There are four adjournment categories used in SSCS appeal tribunals and the adjourning judge determines the most appropriate adjournment category for the case being dealt with (cases can be adjourned for more than one reason). The four categories, together with some examples of the circumstances under which these categories may be used, are as follows:
	Tribunal not ready to proceed
	Where the tribunal requires additional evidence.
	Where an applicant was known to a tribunal panel member.
	Administrators not ready to proceed
	Failure by administrative staff to provide sufficient notice of the appeal hearing.
	Failure to observe a previous direction given by a judge.
	Arrangement of incorrect panel composition.
	Applicant not ready to proceed
	Where the applicant requests more time to submit evidence or appoint a representative.
	The applicant is unable, due to medical or other reasons, to continue with the hearing.
	First-tier agency not ready to proceed
	The submission from the agency is incomplete/defective or illegible.
	The agency may seek more time to consider evidence handed in on the day.

Judiciary

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the public purse was of a case heard by (a) a magistrate and (b) a district judge in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Based on a simple analysis of the number of criminal cases completed and the related judicial sitting hours for magistrates courts in 2009-10, the average court costs for cases heard by a bench of magistrates or a district judge are £132 and £196 respectively. Costs comprise all judicial and administrative costs directly incurred by magistrates courts, but, inter alia, exclude area and central overheads.
	It has not been possible to evaluate meaningful statistics relating to average costs for the Legal Service Commission, Crown Prosecution Services and other public sector prosecution costs associated with magistrates courts’ cases. Therefore the costs provided above relate entirely to direct HM Courts Service operational costs only.
	The Ministry of Justice has commissioned independent research to consider variations in the approaches of magistrates and district judges dealing with criminal cases in magistrates courts. The outcome of the research will strengthen the evidence base and better inform policy decisions relating to the deployment of judicial resource across magistrates courts in England and Wales.

Legal Aid

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for legal aid from residents in Lincoln constituency were granted in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is currently collating its data relating to Lincoln constituency. I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been verified and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Legal Aid

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to the retention of legal aid in private family law proceedings for parties assessed as unsuitable for mediation where the issue of domestic violence does not arise.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government, in their consultation paper ‘Proposals for the reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales’, set out their proposals to remove legal aid for private family law cases, except where domestic violence is present, or for a child who has been made a party to the proceedings, or for international child abduction cases. The consultation closed on 14 February. A number of responses raised the issue of other cases that might be unsuitable for mediation. We are considering all the responses, and expect to publish the Government's response to consultation shortly.

Legal Aid

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effects on law firms specialising in clinical negligence cases of his planned reduction in the legal aid budget.

Jonathan Djanogly: Both impact assessments and equality impact assessments were published alongside the consultation paper. These detail anticipated impacts on both providers and users of legally aided services. Revised assessments will be published alongside the Government's response to consultation.

Legal Aid

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the funding of disbursements in (a) clinical negligence, (b) family law and (c) child care cases after such cases are withdrawn from the scope of legal aid.

Jonathan Djanogly: As announced in ‘Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations: The Government Response’ (Cm 8041, March 2011), the Government intend to permit the recoverability of after the event insurance premiums limited to the costs of expert reports in clinical negligence claims. The details will be set out in regulations in due course.
	The consultation paper ‘Proposals for the reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales’, included proposals to withdraw legal aid from clinical negligence and private law family proceedings, but to retain legal aid for public law family proceedings (such as care and supervision proceedings). The Government are currently considering responses to the consultation, and expect to publish their response shortly. Where the Government decide to remove legal aid for certain types of proceedings, this will include removing funding for disbursements.

Legal Aid: Lone Parents

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on (a) the number and proportion of recipients of legal aid who are single parents and (b) the matters in respect of which single parents receive legal aid.

Jonathan Djanogly: Neither my Department nor the Legal Services Commission holds data on whether applicants for legal aid are single parents.

Long Term Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate has been made of the average length of time served by people sentenced to a life term in prison.

Crispin Blunt: The following table taken from Offender Management annual table A3.5 published 28 April 2011:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/oms-quartlery.htm
	shows the number of life sentenced prisoners first released during 2010, and their average time served at the point of first release. The average time served by mandatory lifers has increased considerably from around nine years in the late 1970s to 16 years in 2010.
	
		
			  Number released Average time served (years) 
			 Mandatory lifers 115 16 
			 Other lifers 46 11 
			 Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Long Term Prisoners: Deportation

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which court cases the court has considered making a declaration of incompatibility under section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998 after finding a provision of legislation incompatible with a Convention right contained in that Act, but has decided not to make such a declaration; which provision of legislation was found to be incompatible with which Convention right in each such case; what the response of the Government was to each such finding; and which of those judgements are final.

Kenneth Clarke: The information requested is not collected and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates: Expenses

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account he took of trends in the price of motor fuel in making his proposals for changes to travel expenses payable to voluntary magistrates.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service is in discussion with the Magistrates Association and the National Bench Chairs' Forum about possible changes to the travel and subsistence allowances that magistrates receive in the course of their judicial work. Although no decisions have been taken, the price of motor fuel and other relevant factors are part of the discussion.

Magistrates: Expenses

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much on average a voluntary magistrate claimed in expenses for one day's court sitting in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service does not hold the specific information on a daily basis, however, based on provisional data, the total cost of expenses claimed by Justices of the Peace for the financial year ending 31 March 2011, was around £17 million. This approximates to an average of £767 per claimant, per annum.

Magistrates: Expenses

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on his proposals for changes to the travel and subsistence expenses for voluntary magistrates.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service is in discussion with the Magistrates Association and the National Bench Chairs' Forum about possible changes to the travel and subsistence allowances that magistrates receive in the course of their judicial work. No decisions have been made.

Police: Corruption

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of corruption involving prison officers which involved illegal drugs there were in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) takes the issue of staff corruption seriously and has given a firm commitment to work in partnership with the police to detect, disrupt and deter all forms of corruption affecting prisons, including that involving illegal drugs.
	Our records indicate that since January 2008 (to 31 March) there have been 31 convictions for drug related offences of persons working in prisons, 15 of these convictions relate to prison officers. Clearly, in addition to the possibility of criminal proceedings where appropriate, staff corruption, if proved, will amount to a breach of Conduct and Discipline procedures and internal disciplinary action can be taken. Our records indicate that during the same time frame there have been a total of eight dismissals for drug-related matters of directly employed staff, five of which relate to prison officers. The following table provides a yearly breakdown of the available data held centrally since 2007:
	
		
			  Drug related convictions of prison officers Drug related dismissals of prison officers 
			 2008-09 6 2 
			 2009-10 6 2 
			 2010-11 2 1 
			 2011-12 1 0 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. These figures do not include ongoing operations or investigations where it would be inappropriate to provide operationally sensitive data, or other management action taken in line with HR procedures or where an individual has resigned from employment.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) prisoner on prisoner and (b) prisoner on officer assaults were recorded in each prison in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service publishes annual Safety in Custody statistics on the Ministry of Justice website. Statistics on prisoner on prisoner and prisoner on officer assaults for 2000 to 2009 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody.htm
	Statistics for 2010 are currently being verified for publication later this year.

Reoffenders

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the differences in reconviction rates in (a) England and Wales and (b) Denmark; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: This Ministry of Justice has conducted a pilot study comparing reoffending rates from three countries, England and Wales, Scotland and the Netherlands to assess whether national reoffending data can be compared.
	The study showed that a significant part of the difference in reoffending rates between countries in this pilot was due to the different measurement techniques, rather than any real difference in the level of reoffending with particular groups of offenders. Therefore, it is important to understand and take into account underlying differences in the particular ways reoffending rates are calculated before any meaningful comparisons between countries can be made, and when making use of international evidence on what works to reduce reoffending.
	The findings are in the Compendium of Re-offending Statistics 2010, which is available from the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/compendium-reoffending.htm
	No comparisons have been made with Denmark, but I have commissioned work to look into the feasibility of doing this in the future.

Reoffenders

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what visits Ministers in his Department have made to Denmark on the subject of reconviction rates in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: No Ministers in my Department have visited Denmark on the subject of reconviction rates since 2005.
	In the margins of the October 2010 EU Council Justice and Home Affairs Committee, the Secretary of State briefly discussed the general criminal justice agenda in the UK and Denmark with his Danish counterpart. Both agreed that their priorities were aligned and that dialogue between their Departments should continue as policy developed.

Shoplifting

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of shoplifting led to (a) a caution and (b) a conviction resulting in (i) probation and (ii) a custodial sentence in each parliamentary constituency in the East of England in each year since 2006.

Crispin Blunt: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 17 March 2011, Official Report, column 560W, for the number of offenders cautioned, found guilty and sentenced to a community rehabilitation order, community order, suspended sentence and immediate custody at all courts for ‘stealing from shops and stalls’ (shoplifting), in the East of England region, 1999 to 2009.
	For the number of offenders found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for shoplifting at all courts in the East of England, 1997 to 1998 please see the following table.
	Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency or local authority area.
	Please note that court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Number of offenders found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for ‘Shoplifting’   (1)at all courts, East of England Region 1997-98 
			  1997 1998 
			 Region/Police force area Found guilty Immediate Custody Found guilty Immediate Custody 
			 Bedfordshire 610 126 717 165 
			 Cambridgeshire 502 35 594 56 
			 Essex 1,637 316 1,714 360 
			 Hertfordshire 576 44 611 73 
			 Norfolk 713 65 928 80 
			 Suffolk 586 54 681 98 
			 East of England Region 4,624 640 5,245 832 
			 (1) Stealing from ‘shops and stalls’ (shoplifting) is an offence under Theft Act 1968, section 1. Notes: 1. These statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics - Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Social Security Benefits: Tribunals

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many benefits tribunals took place in each year since 1997.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service only holds information on the number of First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) hearings from 2007. Before this time appeals were administered by the Appeals Service, within the Department for Work and Pensions, prior to the formation of the Tribunals Service in 2006.
	The following table provides information on hearings for each calendar year from 2007 up to 28 February 2011:
	
		
			 Number of hearings 
			 Calendar year Total hearings 
			 2007(1)  143,768 
			 2008 196,627 
			 2009 231,367 
			 2010 302,398 
			 2011(2)  58,209 
			 (1) The 2007 data may be incomplete for the period 19 January to 31 March 2007 as in late 2006 the Appeals Service migrated its case data over to a new IT system. (2) Only includes data for January and February 2011. 
		
	
	The above figures include all appeals that required a hearing, including those where the appeal was adjourned and no decision was taken. The data have been taken from Management Information reports, and may be subject to revision.

Tribunals: Manpower

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has made an estimate of the likely required change in staffing levels for work relating to benefit tribunals in the comprehensive spending review period.

Jonathan Djanogly: Our current assessment is that at least 113 additional administrative staff will be required to support this work during the period 2011-12, together with significant additional funding to cover judicial and other non-staff costs. Recruitment of additional staff on fixed-term contracts is already under way. We will revisit the resource requirements for the later years of the spending review at a later date.

Young Offenders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persistent young offenders are registered; how many offences have been recorded where the offender was a persistent young offender in each year since 2008; and what proportion of total offences in each police force area in England and Wales this represents.

Crispin Blunt: There is no register of persistent young offenders and centrally available data do not provide the information requested.

Young Offenders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) 17-year-olds were on remand in each police authority area in each year since 2005; and how many went on to serve a prison sentence for (i) the same and (ii) a different offence.

Crispin Blunt: The data required to answer this question are currently being extracted and compiled. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as they are available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were recorded in respect of retailers selling alcohol to those aged under 18 years in each year since 2006; how many police cautions were issued; and what the average fine levied was.

James Brokenshire: The number of offences for underage sales is not held centrally by the Home Office. The number of cautions and prosecutions for offences relating to underage sales, England and Wales, 2006 to 2009 (latest available) is shown in table 1.
	Average fine amounts for offences relating to underage sales, England and Wales, 2006 to 2009 (latest available) is shown in table 2.
	The Ministry of Justice plans to publish court proceedings data for 2010 on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Table   1: Number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts at all courts for underage sales, England and Wales, 2005   -   09   (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   Cautioned Proceeded against 
			 Offence code Description 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			  Underage sales            
			 14364 Individual aged under 18 knowingly consuming alcohol 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 3 0 2 
			 14379 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 1 36 33 28 38 29 440 620 401 419 
			 14398 Persistently selling alcohol to children 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 4 
			 14203 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises. 97 22 7 1 4 1,044 741 63 31 2 
			 14380 Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18 0 0 2 1 1 0 17 10 19 5 
			 14352 Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18 4 3 0 0 0 11 1 0 0 0 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) The court proceedings statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Average fine   (1)imposed for underage sales offences, England and Wales, 2005   -   9   (2, 3) 
			   Average fine (£)   (1) 
			 Offence code Description 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			  Underage sales       
			 14384 Individual aged under 18 knowingly consuming alcohol n/a n/a n/a n/a * 
			 14379 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 200 250 250 250 200 
			 14398 Persistently selling alcohol to children n/a n/a n/a n/a * 
			 14203 Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises 200 250 250 300 * 
			 14380 Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18 n/a 200 325 350 * 
			 14352 Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18 200 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 * = Figure suppressed as number too small to give meaningful average. n/a = Not applicable (1) Median fine amount. (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Animal Experiments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make representations to the European Commission to bring forward proposals for the review of European Directive 2010/63/EU to include binding targets for the replacement of animals in scientific research.

Lynne Featherstone: Article 58 of European Directive 2010/63/EU requires the European Commission to review the Directive by 10 November 2017 taking into account advancements in the development of alternative methods not entailing the use of animals, in particular of non-human primates, and to propose amendments, where appropriate.
	The United Kingdom contribution to the review will be considered at the appropriate time when consulted by the Commission.

Asylum

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum seekers who were refused asylum on their original claim did not appeal the refusal decision in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010.

Damian Green: Information on the outcome of an annual cohort of asylum applications is available in Main Table 2.7 of Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2009, published in August 2010. This publication is available in the Library of the House and the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics
	Table 2.7 shows the latest status of decisions on applications made in each year as at May 2010. Data for 2010 and updates for previous years will be available in August 2011.
	The number of initial decisions, appeals lodged, and cases that were not appealed in 2008 and 2009 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Cohort analysis of applications for asylum, excluding dependants, made 2008 to 2009; initial decisions and appeals lodged, as at May 2010   (1) 
			 Principal applicants 
			  2008 2009   (3) 
			 Initial decisions    
			 of which: initial decisions by Home Office   
			 Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum 4,110 3,075 
			 Not recognised as a refugee but granted, HP or DL 2,380 2,160 
			 Refused asylum, HP or DL 14,615 14,940 
			    
			 Appeals lodged (2)  10,960 11,955 
			 Initial decisions that have not been appealed(2)  6,030 5,145 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest five. (2) Appeals are lodged against initial decisions of Humanitarian Protection (HP), Discretionary Leave (DL), or refusals of asylum, HP or DL. (3 )Provisional figures. 
		
	
	The number of appeals lodged and initial decisions that have not been appealed includes cases where the initial decision was to grant Humanitarian Protection (HP) or Discretionary Leave (DL), as well as those refused asylum, HP or DL. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to provide a proportion in this instance.

Crimes of Violence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases of offences of causing actual bodily harm police cautions were issued in each of the last five years; and in what proportion of such cases the offence was the first offence recorded by the offender.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
	The figures requested are provided in the following tables for adult offenders cautioned and for juvenile offenders given reprimands or warnings, the equivalent to adult cautions, between 2005 and 2009. Figures for the criminal history of offenders receiving cautions, reprimands or warnings during 2010 will be published on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Number of cautions given to adult offenders for the offence of causing actual bodily harm as recorded on the Police National Computer, and the number for which this was the offender's first offence, 2005-09, England and Wales 
			   Cautions for ABH where offender had no previous convictions or cautions 
			  Number of cautions for ABH Number Percentage 
			 2005 15,083 8,767 58.1 
			 2006 17,424 9,324 53.5 
			 2007 15,431 7,936 51.4 
			 2008 11,898 5,941 49.9 
			 2009 10,084 5,007 49.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of reprimands and warnings given to juvenile offenders for the offence of causing actual bodily harm as recorded on the Police National Computer, and the number for which this was the offender's first offence, 2005-09, England and Wales 
			   Reprimands and warnings for ABH where offender had no previous convictions, reprimands or warnings 
			  Number of reprimands and warnings for ABH Number Percentage 
			 2005 8,872 6,674 75.2 
			 2006 8.549 6,204 72.6 
			 2007 6,889 4,781 69.4 
			 2008 5,086 3,473 68.3 
			 2009 4,100 2,886 70.4 
			 Note: These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by her Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Damian Green: The detail of properties owned by the Department is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Building name Address Bookv   alue at 31 March 2011 (£) 
			 Yarls Wood Removal Centre Clapham Bedfordshire 35,996,591 
			 Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre West Drayton Middlesex 55,994,192 
			 Harmondsworth Removal Centre West Drayton Middlesex 81,560,975 
			 Dungavel House Removal Centre South Lanarkshire 4,607,607 
			 Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre Oxford Oxfordshire 6,193,918 
			 Langhurst House Horsham West Sussex 1,720,000 
			 Sandridge St Albans Herts 3,435,000

Departmental Communications

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue was received from each number in each year since 1997.

Damian Green: The information requested is as follows:
	Home Office HQ
	The Home Office HQ uses two non-geographic telephone numbers and 11 fax lines, none of which are revenue generating, as follows:
	Publications Ordering Line
	Action Line—Advice to help practitioners take effective action to tackle antisocial behaviour
	Publications Ordering Line (Fax)
	Private Office to the Home Secretary (Fax)
	Private Office to Baroness Neville-Jones (Fax)
	Private Office to James Brokenshire (Fax)
	Private Office to Damian Green (Fax)
	Private Office to Nick Herbert (Fax)
	Private Office to Lynne Featherstone (Fax)
	Ministers Parliamentary Team (Fax)
	Special Advisers (Fax)
	Private Office Management Support Unit (Fax)
	Permanent Secretary's Office (Fax)
	UK Border Agency
	The UK Border Agency (UKBA) uses five non-geographic telephone numbers. These are used by the various contact centres to help customers, sponsors and employers on a wide range of topics. UKBA does not generate any revenue from any of these numbers. Details of services that can be accessed through these numbers are as follows:
	MPs' enquiry line (MPEL): Dedicated service to MPs and their offices dealing with immigration enquiries;
	Sponsorship and employers' helpline;
	Information for employers and education providers about sponsorship under the points-based system;
	A service to employers who want to verify the entitlement to work for people who are awaiting the outcome of an application made to the Home Office; and
	Advice to employers about preventing illegal working, and particularly about carrying out the document checks necessary to establish a statutory excuse against liability to pay a civil penalty.
	Nationality Contact Centre
	Answers questions on British nationality law including:
	What British citizenship is;
	The different types of British nationality;
	The requirements you need to meet to become a British citizen;
	How to make an application;
	The cost of making an application;
	The nationality checking service;
	Where completed application forms should be sent;
	The current waiting times for nationality applications; and
	Citizenship ceremonies.
	EEA residency  e nquiries
	European enquiries contact centre:
	Provides information about the European regulations for nationals of the European economic area (EEA) or Switzerland, or a member of an EEA or Swiss national's family.
	Immigration  e nquiry bureau
	Public Enquiry Office appointment booking service;
	Return of Documents request service;
	Progress update service for current applicants;
	General enquiries service (primarily about the Immigration Rules).
	Criminal Records Bureau
	The CRB has six non-geographical telephone numbers and one non-geographical fax number in use. The lines are dedicated to an individual part of the service as follows:
	CRB Information line
	CRB Registration line
	CRB Disclosure application line
	CRB Minicom line
	CRB Disputes Line
	CRB Welsh line
	CRB Customer Services (Fax)
	The lines are provided by the CRB's private sector partner Capita plc as part of a commercial contract. The CRB does not receive any revenue from these lines.
	Identity and Passport Service
	There are currently eight Identity and Passport Service (IPS) telephone lines which all use 0300 numbers (previously 0845/0870 numbers). These numbers provide general passport advice and appointments at regional offices for passport applications:
	Passport Advice Line
	ABI Booking Line
	ABI Welsh
	Fees information
	Customer Correspondence Queries
	Local Registration Service. This was introduced in April 2011 to provide access to specialist advice from the General Register Office. Certificate Ordering services within the General Register Office
	Passport Advice Line (text phone for hard of hearing, customers)
	Fees information service (text phone for hard of hearing customers)
	IPS has not kept records of the number of calls each service received on the 0845/0870 numbers, but revenue raised from 0845/0870 numbers previously in use is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2004-05 383,264.74 
			 2005-06 238,605.96 
			 2006-07 320,898.70 
			 2008-09 236,730.00 
			 2009-10 19,706.00 
		
	
	The revenue received was used to help fund the overall cost of the service.
	Information on revenue earned prior to 2004 can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The total revenue received in 2009-10 covers the period February to August 2009, as IPS stopped receiving revenue from its 0870 numbers from 1 September 2009. The figure in 2009-10 is much lower than previous years, as the majority of calls were on the new 0300 numbers introduced in September 2008.

Departmental Travel

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on flights (a) within England and (b) outside the UK in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Department’s recorded spend on UK and overseas flights is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Home Office expenditure on flights 
			 £ million 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 UK       
			 Home Office and UKBA 1.04 1.17 1.15 1.64 0.90 
			 IPS 0.31 0.47 0.53 0.42 0.23 
			 CRB 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total UK 1.35 1.64 1.68 2.06 1.13 
			       
			 Overseas       
			 Home Office and UKBA 2.12 1.39 1.44 1.31 1.00 
			 IPS 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.09 0.14 
			 CRB 0 0 0 0.09 0 
			 Total overseas 2.17 1.45 1.51 1.49 1.14 
			       
			 Total flights 3.52 3.09 3.19 3.55 2.27 
		
	
	Information on flights within England alone could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Figures for 2010-11 are subject to audit by National Audit Office.
	The Department expects all official travel to be carried out by the most efficient and economic means available, taking into account the cost of travel and subsistence, savings in official time, management benefit, and the needs of staff with disabilities. This is in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

EU Immigration

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has discussed with her European counterparts the (a) definition and (b) legal status of irregular migrants; and whether she has discussed with (i) the Council of Europe and (ii) the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights the use of the term irregular migrant.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has discussed the prevention of illegal migration across the European Union's external borders with her European counterparts, including the situations in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. The Home Secretary has not discussed the definition or legal status of irregular migrants with her European counterparts, or the use of the term 'irregular migrant' with either the Council of Europe or the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights.

Freedom of Information

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of requests received by her Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 gave rise to responses published by her Department in each year since the entry into force of that Act.

Lynne Featherstone: The information is set out in the table in line with guidance published by the Information Commissioner. The Home Office publishes on its website information released in response to Freedom of Information requests where the information is likely to be of wider interest to members of the public. We do not publish responses in the many cases where the released information is of relevance only to the requester, or where the information requested is either not held or is withheld under one or more of the exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act.
	
		
			 Freedom ofI   nformation requests received by the Home Office, 2005-11 
			  Request received Reponses published (percentage) 
			 2005 1,970 15 
			 2006 2,861 11 
			 2007 2,269 10 
			 2008 1,998 5 
			 2009 2,492 4 
			 2010 3,069 6 
			 2011 867 7 
			 Notes: 1. Figures for responses published in 2005 and 2006 do not involve responses published by the Criminal Records Bureau. 2. Figures for 2001 are to 31 March.

Hotels

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies spent on hotel and other such accommodation for staff (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad in each year since 2007-08.

Damian Green: Expenditure of the Home Office and its agencies on hotel accommodation for staff in the UK and abroad is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Expenditure on staff hotel accommodation 
			 £000 
			   2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Home Office UK 1,213 3,562 1,026 1,000 
			  Overseas 4,318 2,478 173 124 
			 UKBA UK (1)— (1)— 4,678 3,702 
			  Overseas (1)— (1)— 2,478 2,236 
			 IPS UK 1,857 1,150 1,350 704 
			  Overseas 8 14 16 15 
			 CRB UK and Overseas n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1 )UKBA became an executive agency in 2009-10 
		
	
	Figures for Crime Research Bureau cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Department expects all official travel, and the associated accommodation, to be undertaken by the most efficient and economic means available, taking into account the cost of travel and subsistence, savings in official time, management benefit, and the needs of staff with disabilities. This is in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Hunting Act 2004

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) charges, (b) prosecutions, (c) fines and (d) cautions there have been for breaches of the Hunting Act 2004 in each police force area since 2006.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, and the number of offenders cautioned, for all offences under the Hunting Act 2004, in England and Wales by police force area from 2006 to 2009 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Information on charging is not held by the Ministry of Justice.
	Cautions and court proceedings data for 2010 are planned to be published on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 The number of defendants p   roceeded against at magistratescourts, i   ssued with a fine, or caution   (1)for offen   ces under the Hunting Act 2004   (2)   , England and Wales, 2006   -   09   (3,4) 
			  Cautioned Proceeded against Fine 
			 Police   force   area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2006 2007 2008 2009 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset — — — — — 2 — 3 — 2 — — 
			 Bedfordshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Cambridgeshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Cheshire — — — — 2 1 — — 2 1 — — 
			 City of London — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Cleveland — — 1 — — 1 — — — 1 — — 
			 Cumbria — — — — — — — 1 — — — — 
			 Derbyshire — — — — — 2 — — — 2 — — 
			 Devon and Cornwall — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Dorset — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — 1 — — — — — — — 
			 Essex — — — — 4 — — 6 3 — — 6 
			 Gloucestershire — — — — — — — 2 — — — — 
			 Greater Manchester — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Hampshire — — — — — 4 3 4 — — 3 — 
			 Hertfordshire — — — — — — — 5 — — — 5 
			 Humberside — — — 3 4 8 6 20 — 7 6 14 
			 Kent — 2 3 — — — — 1 — — — — 
			 Lancashire — — — — — 2 2 5 — 2 — 2 
			 Leicestershire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Lincolnshire — — — — — 7 13 6 — 7 4 3 
			 Merseyside — 3 — — — 25 4 1 — 17 3 — 
			 Metropolitan Police — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Norfolk — — — — — — 3 — — — — — 
			 North Yorkshire — 1 — 2 — — 8 13 — — 4 8 
			 Northamptonshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Northumbria — 1 — 3 — 6 — 1 — — — — 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 South Yorkshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Staffordshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Suffolk — — — — — 2 3 — — 1 3 — 
			 Surrey — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Sussex — — — — — — — 4 — — — 4 
			 Thames Valley — 1 — — — — 2 17 — — 2 8 
			 Warwickshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 West Mercia — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 West Midlands — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 West Yorkshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Wiltshire — — — — — — — 1 — — — 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Gwent — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 North Wales — — — — — 2 — — — 1 — — 
			 South Wales — — — — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 England and Wales — 8 4 8 11 62 44 90 5 41 25 51 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) Came into force on 18 February 2005. (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Immigration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the UK Border Agency has made in locating and correcting the immigration status document of Mr Khuy, of St Albans.

Damian Green: Mr Khuy's immigration status document was amended in line with his representative's request to change the spelling of his first name and was sent to his representatives on 18 November 2010 by recorded delivery.
	In a query from my hon. Friend's office, made on 27 April 2011, the Agency were advised that Mr Khuy's immigration status documents had been returned with an incorrect date of birth and Mr Khuy had received confirmation of this delivery. I can confirm that the UK Border Agency will write to my hon. Friend directly with an update on Mr Khuy's case.

Immigration

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 27 April 2011 on the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2011, when she expects to bring forward an amendment to the regulations to introduce the new fee for stateless persons to be granted the status of a British protected person.

Damian Green: An amendment will be made at the next available opportunity. We do not yet have a planned date for this.

Rape

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations of rape were reported to the police by (a) women and (b) men in each year since 2007-08; how many reports of rape resulted in prosecutions; and how many such prosecutions were successful in each such year.

Lynne Featherstone: Data on police recorded offences of rape against a male and rape against a female are collected by the Home Office. The requested data for each year since 2007-08 are provided in Table A.
	Data on reported rapes which resulted in prosecutions are not available as it is not possible to track individual offences through to their outcome at court. Prosecutions data are based on the number of offenders and have been provided by the Ministry of Justice in Table B. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. As such, prosecutions data cannot be linked to police recorded crime data.
	
		
			 Table A: Offences of rape against a male and rape against a female recorded in England and Wales 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Rape of a male 1,008 964 1,174 
			 Rape of a female 11,629 12,140 13,991 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for rape   (1)of a male and female England and Wales 2007   -   09   (2, 3) 
			 Offence 2007 2008   (4) 2009 
			 Rape of a male     
			 Proceeded against 197 162 213 
			 Found guilty 82 67 65 
			 Rape of a female     
			 Proceeded against 2,166 2,233 2,583 
			 Found guilty 791 855 932 
			 Total rape     
			 Proceeded against 2,363 2,395 2,796 
			 Found guilty 873 922 997 
			 (1) Includes attempted rape. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Shoplifting

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of shoplifting in the East of England in each year since 1997 in each parliamentary constituency; and how many of these convictions resulted in a custodial sentence.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 17 March 2011, Official Report, column 560W, for the number of offenders cautioned, found guilty and sentenced to a community rehabilitation order, community order, suspended sentence and immediate custody at all courts for ‘stealing from shops and stalls’ (shoplifting), in the East of England region, 1999 to 2009.
	For the number of offenders found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for shoplifting at all courts in the East of England, 1997 to 1998 please see the following table.
	Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency or local authority area.
	Please note that court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Number of offenders found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for ‘Shoplifting’   (1)at all courts, East of Englandr   egion 1997-98 
			  1997 1998 
			 Region/Police force area Found guilty Immediatec   ustody Found guilty Immediatec   ustody 
			 Bedfordshire 610 126 717 165 
			 Cambridgeshire 502 35 594 56 
			 Essex 1,637 316 1,714 360 
			 Hertfordshire 576 44 611 73 
			 Norfolk 713 65 928 80 
			 Suffolk 586 54 681 98 
			 East of England Region 4,624 640 5,245 832 
			 (1) Stealing from ‘shops and stalls’ (shoplifting) is an offence under Theft Act 1968, section 1. Notes: 1. These statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics - Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

WORK AND PENSIONS

Incapacity Benefit: Appeals

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals by claimants against decisions on non-entitlement to incapacity benefit there have been in each year since 2000; what the average length of time taken to determine such appeals was in each such year; and what the cost of such appeals was in each such year.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service is currently collating this information. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Germany

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether any additional provision is to be made for local authorities to whose areas troops returning from overseas bases will settle;
	(2)  what timetable he has set for the return of troops from Germany; and to which garrisons they will return in the (a) first and (b) second wave;
	(3)  how many British troops he expects to return to the UK from bases overseas (a) before 2015 and (b) between 2015 and 2020;
	(4)  what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers and officials of his Department have had with local authorities on the forthcoming return of British troops from Germany.

Nick Harvey: The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) set out the Government's aim to accelerate the re-basing of the 20,000 or so armed forces personnel currently in Germany to the UK. Since the SDSR was announced the Ministry of Defence has been addressing the full range of basing and estate issues arising from the re-basing from Germany; restructuring of the Army's non-deployable regional and administrative structure; and the future requirement for RAF bases. Once we have drawn up a comprehensive basing and estates rationalisation plan the Army will be able to draw up its detailed proposals for the rebasing of forces from Germany. Officials will engage with the local authorities concerned as these develop.

Armed Forces: Prisons

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which Minister in his Department authorised the inclusion of the armed forces in contingency plans for dealing with industrial unrest at UK prisons;
	(2)  from which units armed forces personnel who have been part of contingency plans for dealing with industrial unrest at prisons have been selected;
	(3)  how many hours of training have been given to armed forces personnel as part of contingency plans for dealing with industrial unrest at UK prisons;
	(4)  how many work hours staff in his Department have spent on contingency planning for dealing with industrial unrest at prisons.

Nick Harvey: As Minister of State for the Armed Forces I authorised the provision of military assistance to the Ministry of Justice in the event of industrial action by prison officers following a formal request for assistance by the Ministry of Justice.
	As at 26 April 2011, military personnel from the units in the following table have been or are currently being trained to support to the Ministry of Justice in the event of industrial action by prison officers. I have taken unit to mean those formations commanded by an officer of at least lieutenant colonel or equivalent. The army has mostly provided personnel in formed sub-units. In the case of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, smaller numbers have generally been provided from a number of establishments or ships, all of which are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force 
			 HMS Chatham 1 Battalion Mercian Regiment No 1 Force Protection Wing 
			 HMS Manchester 21 Engineer Regiment No 1 Tactical Police Wing 
			 HMS Northumberland 4 Regiment Royal Artillery No 2 Police Wing 
			 HMS Portland 3 Logistic Support Regiment Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, RAF Cosford 
		
	
	
		
			 HMS Somerset 2 Signal Regiment Defence College of Logistics and Personnel Administration and Defence College of Policing and Guarding, Southwick Park 
			 HMS York 14 Signal Regiment Defence Medical Rehabilitation Unit, Headley Court 
			 HMS Gloucester 27 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps Joint Force Harrier, RAF Wittering and RAF Cottesmore 
			 HMS Sultan 39 Engineer Regiment MOD Boscombe Down 
			 HMS Dauntless 16 Regiment Royal Artillery MOD St Athan 
			 HMS Liverpool 22 Field Hospital RAF Brampton 
			 HMS Bulwark 17 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps RAF Brize Norton 
			 HMS Sutherland 29 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps RAF Coningsby 
			 HMS Campbeltowm 104 Field Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers RAF Cottesmore 
			 HMNB Portsmouth 30 Signal Regiment RAF Cranwell 
			 HMNB Devonport 22 Signal Regiment RAF Digby 
			 RNAS Culdrose Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Support Battalion RAF Halton 
			 RNAS Yeovilton 1 Artillery Brigade RAF Henlow 
			  101 Logistics Brigade RAF High Wycombe 
			  2 Prince of Wales Royal Regiment RAF Honington 
			  Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery RAF Kinloss 
			  12 Regiment Royal Artillery RAF Leeming 
			  5 The Royal Regiment of Scotland RAF Linton-on-Ouse 
			  1 Royal Tank Regiment RAF Lyneham 
			  HQ Joint Helicopter Command RAF Marham 
			  HQ London District RAF Northolt 
			  HQ 2 (South East) Brigade RAF St Mawgan 
			  HQ 15 (North East) Brigade RAF Scampton 
			  HQ 42(North West) Brigade RAF Shawbury 
			  HQ 43 (Wessex) Brigade RAF Valley 
			  HQ 49 (East) Brigade RAF Waddington 
			  HQ 143 (West Midlands) Brigade RAF Wittering 
			  HQ 145 (South) Brigade RAF Wyton 
			  HQ 160 (Wales) Brigade Tactical Supply Wing, MOD Stafford 
		
	
	In addition personnel from all three services have been provided from the Permanent Joint Headquarters, HQ Standing Joint Commander(UK) and Defence Equipment and Support.
	Military personnel who may be called on to provide support in prisons receive a standardised 45 hour training package spread over five days. In addition, a small number of military personnel have been trained to conduct the training programme; these personnel receive approximately 90 hours training over 10 days.
	The information on the number of working hours Ministry of Defence and other Headquarters staff have spent conducting contingency planning for any industrial action by prison officers is not held in the format requested. It is not possible to disaggregate this work from wider contingency and operational planning across the Department.

Armed Forces: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what proportion of new recruits to the armed forces were under 18 years of age in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people of each sex under the age of 18 joined the armed forces in each of the last 10 years;

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is presented in the following tables:
	
		
			 Percentage of intake under 18-years-   old by financial year 
			  2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Percentage of intake under 18 years old 37.3 37.6 36.1 35.0 35.1 34.2 30.0 28.0 25.4 21.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Intake to UK Regular Forces aged under 18 years in each of the last ten financial years by gender 
			  2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Male 7,750 7,960 8,445 7,320 5,610 5,645 5,290 5,440 5,275 4,235 
			 Female 820 915 1,020 895 550 530 520 540 505 435

Departmental Food

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the (a) bacon and (b) eggs purchased by his Department since 7 May 2010 came from producers meeting UK animal welfare standards.

Peter Luff: This information is not held in the format requested.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has two primary contracting arrangements for feeding armed forces personnel; the first is a number of outsourced pay as you dine/catering retail and leisure contracts covering most armed forces personnel 'in UK barracks'. Contractors appointed under this arrangement are free to source on the open market consistent with meeting EU competition rules and quality standards. We will be calling for data next month from our catering retail and leisure suppliers, in order to provide a report to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on our status against the proposed Government buying standards for food and catering.
	The second arrangement is a single food supply contract for armed forces personnel serving on operations, exercises, in submarines and ships worldwide as well as the remainder of armed forces personnel 'in barracks'. The food supply contract has been placed on Purple Food Service Solutions who procure meat and dairy proteins in the UK that meet all UK animal welfare standards. Proteins purchased outside of the UK comply with the EU animal welfare standards. 100% of bacon sourced since May 2010 meets these standards. 100% of eggs sourced since May 2010 meets the Lion Standard, an internationally recognised quality code of practice. All food purchased through the MOD food supply contract is subject to stringent quality standards, encompassing farm assurance, animal welfare and health and nutrition. These meet or exceed all current legislative standards.

Electronic Warfare

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's computer systems have been targeted by the Stuxnet virus since its emergence.

Nick Harvey: We do not comment on the detail of cyber security incidents.
	The Department has procedural and physical measures in place to protect against and mitigate the impact of such incidents.

Guided Weapons

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the contracts for the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) Anti-Navire Légère system are to be renegotiated as part of the review process within his Department; whether he plans to review the requirement for this system; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much he expects his Department to spend on the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) Anti-Navire Légère system in the 2011-12 financial year; what the total planned cost of introduction of the system is; whether the planned cost is on budget; on what date he expects the system to enter service; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence now takes a portfolio approach to procuring complex weapons. This was launched in April 2010 and will secure significant efficiencies across the breadth of the complex weapons portfolio over the next 10 years and beyond, and is designed to meet the UK's military requirements and safeguard our sovereign capability.
	There are no plans to re-negotiate the Ministry of Defence contract with MBDA UK for the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy)/Anti Navire Léger programme (FASGW(H)) which is currently in the assessment phase of the acquisition cycle and planned to complete later this year.
	The Department estimates that it will spend about £1.7 million on the FASGW(H) programme in financial year 2011-12. As the project is in its assessment phase, the overall cost and in-service date have yet to be finalised. They will be considered as part of the departmental planning and approvals process leading to main gate approval, currently planned for later in financial year 2011-12, and subsequent procurement.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military equipment has had its life extended in response to the conflict in Libya; for how long the life of each item has been extended; on what date the life of each item is expected to expire; and what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of each month of life extension for each item.

Peter Luff: A single Nimrod R1 surveillance aircraft, two C-130K Hercules transport aircraft and the Type 22 Frigate HMS Cumberland have had their service lives extended in response of the conflict in Libya.
	These equipments were due to be withdrawn from service from 1 April 2011 and have been extended by three months, one month and 16 days respectively, though the decision on the Nimrod R1 will be kept under review.
	Contractual negotiations for the Nimrod R1’s extension have not yet been completed, but the anticipated cost is likely to be around £4 million. The cost of extending the C-130s and HMS Cumberland is anticipated to be around £15,000 and £575,000 respectively.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions (a) he and (b) (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department have had with their NATO counterparts on arming the opposition in Libya;
	(2)  what legal advice (a) he and (b) (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department have sought on arming the opposition in Libya.

Liam Fox: We are in constant discussion, both at ministerial and official level, with our NATO counterparts on how to continue to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1970 and 1973.
	Departmental officials work closely with Ministry of Defence legal advisers at all times. Legal advice is subject to legal professional privilege and cannot therefore be disclosed.

Navy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what capability the Royal Navy has to regenerate the ability to lift a brigade-sized force by sea.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 April 2011, Official Report, column 419W.

Piracy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2011, Official Report, column 436W, on piracy, whether there have been any recent changes to the naval doctrine on countering piracy.

Nick Harvey: There have been no recent changes to naval doctrine on counter piracy.

UN Security Council

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the total level of resources his Department will provide for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

Liam Fox: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made clear, the additional costs of operations in Libya will be fully met from the reserve.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Brazil: Dams

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his Brazilian counterpart on the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Brazil.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State for International Development has had no such discussions with the Government of Brazil.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development owns one property in the UK, our office named Abercrombie House, in Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, G75 8EA, where the building is valued at £4,960,000.
	In addition, we own 8 residential properties in Malawi to a total value of £789,239, and three residential properties in Zimbabwe to a total value of £189,495. Addresses of these properties cannot be provided for security reasons.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) thank by email or letter all those inquiring about work experience, internships and volunteer work for their interest in gaining experience in international development.
	We explain that DFID does not offer opportunities for paid or unpaid work experience, internships or voluntary work within the Department. Given current resource constraints the cost of running such schemes is disproportionately high when compared to the very small number of opportunities we could contemplate offering.
	We advise them to check our website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	for advertised vacancies and for more information on other aid organisations.
	The International Citizens Service was launched on 9 March 2011 to provide opportunities for 18 to 22-year-olds to undertake voluntary work in a developing country. More information is available on the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Get-Involved/Volunteering/International-Citizen-Service/

Developing Countries: Cotton

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has contributed to the EU-Africa Partnership on cotton and its associated action plan.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK provides financial support to aid for trade programmes for cotton producers. Much of this is channelled through the European Development Fund, including through the Action Plan of the EU-Africa Partnership on Cotton.

Developing Countries: Cotton

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what forms of support his Department provided for cotton producers in developing countries in 2010-11.

Stephen O'Brien: In 2010-11 the UK provided political support for cotton producers, pressing for conclusion of the Doha Development Round (DDA), reform of the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) and removal of US cotton subsidies. Financial support was given through a range of institutions for aid for trade programmes to support cotton producers. The UK also provided support for research to highlight the negative impact of cotton subsidies on farmers in developing countries and influence their removal.

Developing Countries: Cotton

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department has made to the World Trade Organisation's aid for trade programmes for cotton producers.

Stephen O'Brien: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) does not carry out aid for trade programmes itself, but does monitor flows of aid for trade finance. The UK provides financial support to aid for trade programmes for cotton producers. The majority of UK support is channelled through institutions such as the European Commission and World Bank. The UK also provides a small amount of bilateral support.

Developing Countries: Cotton

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the proposal in respect of cotton contained in paragraph 52 of the World Trade Organisation's revised draft modalities for agriculture of 6 December 2008.

Stephen O'Brien: Paragraph 52 of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) revised draft modalities for agriculture within the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) does not explicitly address cotton. However, other parts of the text contain proposals to address trade-distorting policies affecting the cotton sector. These call for larger and faster cuts in cotton subsidies, relative to others.
	Given the importance of cotton to farmers in developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, the UK Government supports these proposals and is at the forefront of countries pressing for an ambitious outcome on cotton within the DDA.

Developing Countries: Debts

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on permanency of the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010; and if he will expand its remit to include other British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply.
	The Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010 and the Act came into force on 8 June 2010. The legislation means that UK Courts of Law can no longer be used to pursue excessive claims against some of the poorest countries on their historic debts, ensuring that resources are available to tackle poverty. The sunset clause attached to this legislation means that the law will expire on 7 June 2011. The Government have reviewed the impact of the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010. Evidence suggests that the Act has had some benefit on heavily indebted poor countries and no evidence has been found of unintended adverse effects. The Government have decided to make the Act permanent. The draft Order was laid before Parliament on 28 March 2011. The UK will share its experience of addressing non-participation in debt relief with Britain's Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories.

Developing Countries: Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the inclusion of increased investment in access to clean energy for the poorest people as an outcome in the new World Bank energy strategy.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK strongly supports the World Bank's ambition to increase lending for access to clean energy, particularly for the poorest, as part of its new energy strategy.

Developing Countries: Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will promote a reformed approach to the World Bank's work on climate change including a reduction in finance for fossil fuels; and whether he raised this issue at the World Bank Spring meetings.

Stephen O'Brien: The World Bank’s Energy Strategy must meet the twin goals of sustainable energy production and addressing the chronic shortfall in energy that exists in many countries. We therefore strongly support a reformed approach to the World Bank's work on climate change including a shift away from fossil fuel lending and an increase in lending for clean energy.
	In his statement to the World Bank Development Committee the Secretary of State for International Development emphasised the bank's role to support the global climate change agenda. He said that the bank should promote energy efficiency and generation from renewable energy sources.
	A copy of the statement is available in the World Bank website at:
	http://www.web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DEVCOMMEXT/0,,menuPK:60001657~pagePK:64001141~piPK: 64001176~theSitePK:277473,00.html

Developing Countries: Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the proposed ban on World Bank lending for new coal power projects to middle income countries; and whether he raised this issue at the World Bank spring meetings.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK strongly support the Bank’s shift away from lending for coal fired power stations towards cleaner energy sources where there is a greater need for concessional lending. The Bank should focus where it can add most value such as support for low income countries, which have less capacity and access to finance. We want to see the Bank helping countries explore all reasonable alternative options before concluding that coal is the appropriate option. Where these are not feasible we want to see efforts being made to ensure the cleanest possible technology is used.
	In his statement to the World Bank Development Committee the Secretary of State for International Development emphasised the Bank’s role to support the global climate change agenda by promoting energy efficiency and generation from renewable energy sources. He also indicated it should focus on the most valuable contribution it can make, such as leveraging finance for clean energy production.
	A copy of the statement is available in the World Bank website at:
	http://www.web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DEVCOMMEXT/0,,menuPK:60001657~pageP K:64001141~piPK:64001176~theSitePK:277473,00.html

Overseas Aid

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the monetary value was of aid received by each country in receipt of UK official development assistance in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: Details of estimated UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) are published on the Department of International Development's (DFID's) website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Finance-and-performance/Aid-Statistics/
	This includes a breakdown of all countries in receipt of UK ODA. Final 2010 ODA figures will be published later in the year in DFID's publication ‘Statistics on International Development’ which will also be available on DFID's website.

Overseas Aid

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to the public purse was of the UK's official development assistance in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2010 is estimated at £8.4 billion. Details of estimated 2010 ODA are published on the Department for International Development (DFID) website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Finance-and-performance/Aid-Statistics/
	Final UK ODA figures will be published later in the year in DFID's publication ‘Statistics on International Development’ which will also be posted on DFID's website.

Supermarkets

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has had any meetings since September 2010 with representatives of (a) Tesco, (b) Sainsbury’s, (c) Asda, (d) Morrisons and (e) trade associations of which these companies are members.

Stephen O'Brien: Department for International Development Ministers have not met representatives of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons or their trade associations since September 2010. Details of Ministers’ meetings are published quarterly and are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	DFID officials have met with representatives from the Ethical Trading Initiative and attended their Annual General Meeting in January 2011. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda are members of the Ethical Trading Initiative.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the public revenue for the Turks and Caicos islands for each of the next five years.

Alan Duncan: The Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands signed off the latest budget on 5 April. This included the following public revenue projections:
	
		
			  US$ million 
			 2011-12 163 
			 2012-13 170 
			 2013-14 190 
		
	
	There are currently no formal estimates for 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the Turks and Caicos budget is currently assigned to benefit and welfare payments.

Alan Duncan: The proportion of the 2011-12 budget recently approved in the Turks and Caicos Islands assigned for social welfare payments is 0.61%.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money was spent from the public purse on benefit and welfare payments in Turks and Caicos in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: According to as yet unaudited accounts, the spending by the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands on social welfare payments, in US$, over the past five years was as follows:
	
		
			  US$ 
			 2006-07 1,795,187 
			 2007-08 2,563,296 
			 2008-09 2,146,501 
			 2009-10 1,769,572 
			 2010-11 1,513,515 
		
	
	The UK taxpayer has not financed any of this expenditure.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that students accepted on International Citizen Service overseas projects are drawn from (a) a wide geographical area and (b) a balance between state and private education.

Andrew Mitchell: The pilot phase of International Citizen Service is being implemented by a consortium of experienced development volunteering agencies, who are required to ensure that volunteers are drawn from all regions of the UK, and from low, middle and higher household income groups.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to Voluntary Service Overseas in each of the last five years; and how much funding his Department expects to allocate in each of the next five years.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) support to Civil Society Organisations, including Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), are published in Statistics on International Development (SID) which is available in the House Library and online at
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	Figures for 2005-06 to 2009-10 are reproduced as follows. Provisional 2010-11 figures will be published in the annual report in July.
	
		
			 Financial year DFID support to VSO (£ million) 
			 2005-06 28.83 
			 2006-07 28.8 
			 2007-08 29.35 
			 2008-09 30.9 
			 2009-10 34.12 
		
	
	VSO have a Strategic Gant Arrangement with DFID which runs until 2013-14. Funding approved under this agreement is:
	
		
			 Financial year DFID support to VSO (£ million) 
			 2011-12 30.00 
			 2012-13 26.00 
			 2013-14 22.00 
		
	
	Over the three years of this Strategic Grant Arrangement, VSO will look to diversify and widen its funding base, thereby increasing income and lessening its dependence on DFID support.
	VSO are also in receipt of funding of £8.37 million in 2011 for the pilot phase of the International Citizen Service programme.

EDUCATION

CAFCASS

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many cases in which the Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service has intervened were not resolved after (a) 12 months, (b) 24 months and (c) 36 months on the most recent date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average time taken between the first assessment of a child and the allocation of a case in each Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service region was in the most recent date for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not hold this information. This is an operational matter for which CAFCASS is responsible; I have asked CAFCASS’s chief executive, Anthony Douglas, to write to the hon. Member with this information, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

CAFCASS

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many (a) fathers and (b) mothers have been denied access to their children as a result of a decision or recommendation from Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many (a) fathers and (b) mothers have (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully challenged a final decision by Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service to prevent access to a child in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: Decisions regarding contact with children are made by the family courts rather than by Cafcass. The court will make a decision within the framework on the Children Act 1989 which requires the court to consider the best interests of the child in each particular case. The court may seek advice from Cafcass or other agencies on an issue but is not bound to follow any recommendations in the report.
	Neither the Department for Education nor Cafcass collects information on whether the courts follow the recommendations in Cafcass reports, or on the nature of those recommendations.

CAFCASS

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the quality of reports provided by Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service to family courts.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not assess the quality of individual reports provided by Cafcass to the family courts. However, the quality of the service which Cafcass provides is assessed by Ofsted.

Children: Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department holds information on levels of emotional intelligence in children.

Nick Gibb: The only information held by the Department on the levels of emotional intelligence in pupils comes from the two evaluations of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme which were published in 2008 and 2010. These evaluations included measures of pupils' social and emotional skills, mental health difficulties, and behaviour problems.
	A national evaluation of SEAL in secondary schools conducted by Manchester University was published in October last year. The evaluation can be accessed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR049
	An evaluation of primary SEAL was published in 2008. The review can be accessed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DCSF-RB064

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, columns 767-68W, on departmental procurement, who appointed the Chair of the National Curriculum review expert panel; what the monetary value is of his contract with the Department; and how this was determined.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The decision to appoint Mr Tim Oates as Chair of the National Curriculum Review Expert Panel was made by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), on the advice of officials. Mr Oates has been engaged to carry out this role through a part-time secondment to the Department for Education from his current employer, Cambridge Assessment. Mr Oates’s rate of remuneration for carrying out this role matches that which he receives from Cambridge Assessment for his work there.

Employment Agencies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in the last year for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The information for the Department is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Category of spend Cost (£) 
			 Recruitment Agency Fees 0 
			 Outplacement Agency Fees 7,657 
			 Staff training 874,448

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) his Department and (b) the public purse of independent schools adopting free school status;
	(2)  whether limits will be placed on the catchment area for an independent school acquiring free school status;
	(3)  whether independent schools will be required to admit a defined proportion of local pupils if they acquire free school status;
	(4)  whether independent schools which become free schools will be permitted to retain their charitable status;
	(5)  whether any admissions requirements will be applied to independent schools which are given free school status;
	(6)  whether any differences exist in the applications procedure for free school status followed by maintained schools and independent schools;
	(7)  whether he plans to place a limit on the number of independent schools which may be given free school status;
	(8)  what mechanism his Department has put in place to process expressions of interest by independent schools seeking to become free schools.

Nick Gibb: We will be assessing Free School applications against the criteria that have been published in the ‘how to apply’ form, which is available on the Department's website:
	http://education.gov.uk/freeschools/a0074965/how-to-apply-to-open-a-free-school
	When assessing Free School applications from independent schools, we will also take into account additional factors as set out in the ‘how to apply’ form. We have not set a limit on the number of independent schools which can become Free Schools, nor separately estimated the associated costs.
	All Free Schools must be charities and are required to comply with the School Admissions Code. Maintained schools cannot apply to become Free Schools.

Further Education

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people entered formal post-16 education in (a) further education colleges and (b) school sixth forms in each of the last five academic years.

Nick Gibb: Data on participation in education post-16 are published in a Department for Education (DfE) Statistical First Release (SFR) entitled ‘Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England’.
	The following table shows the numbers and proportions of the cohort of young people of academic age 16 (the vast majority of whom will be in their first year of post-compulsory education) enrolled in various institution types for the last five years for which data are available:
	
		
			  End 2005 End 2006 End 2007 End 2008 End 2009 
			  No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 Maintained schools 195,100 29.7 202,200 30.3 204,000 30.4 209,300 31.6 210,000 33.0 
			 Academies and city technology colleges 3,200 0.5 3,700 0.6 5,500 0.8 8,300 1.3 12,500 2.0 
			 Independent schools 38,000 5.8 39,300 5.9 39,100 6.1 40,200 6.1 38,700 6.1 
			 Sixth form colleges 69,700 10.6 71,600 10.7 72,800 10.9 73,500 11.1 75,500 11.9 
			 General FE, tertiary and specialist colleges 214,100 32.6 223,700 33.5 230,000 34.3 234,300 35.4 228,900 35.9 
			 Higher education institutions 4,000 0.6 3,800 0.6 2,900 0.4 2,600 0.4 2,400 0.4 
			 Note: The table excludes young people who were undertaking work based education and training (largely apprenticeships), employer funded training, or “other education and training” with a private training provider; numbers and proportions estimated to be participating in those ways without also being enrolled in a college or school at end 2009 were 28,900 (4.5%), 6,400 (1.0%) and 2,200 (0.3%) respectively.

Further Education: Disadvantaged

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that further education and sixth form colleges have access to data which enables them to assess whether pupils aged 16 who enrol in September 2011 (a) were in receipt of a free school meal in school year 11, (b) are from a household with a low income, (c) are in care and (d) are in a household in receipt of income support.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 May 2011
	We will take steps to ensure that schools, colleges and training providers have access to information that will allow them to identify those young people who should receive bursaries of £1,200 a year. Beyond this group, further education and sixth form colleges will be able to exercise their discretion to award 16-19 bursaries to young people—including to young people who were in receipt of free school meals in year 11—in ways that best fit local needs and circumstances.

Further Education: Disadvantaged

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his statement of 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 54 on post-16 education funding, what his source is for the figure of 12,000 16 to 18 year-olds who are in care, or are care leavers and in receipt of income support; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 May 2011
	Education maintenance allowance data suggests that there are currently around 12,000 young people participating in education and training in the vulnerable groups that will be eligible for a £1,200 bursary. This equates to around 1% of 16 to 19-year-olds in full-time education or training.

Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of levels of emotional intelligence on (i) behavioural, (ii) cognitive and (iii) biological and physical development.

Nick Gibb: Under the Department for Children, Schools and Families two evaluations were commissioned of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme. These were published in 2008 and 2010, and included measures of pupils' social and emotional skills, mental health difficulties, and behaviour problems. No quantitative measurements were included of cognitive, biological or physical development.
	A national evaluation of SEAL in secondary schools conducted by Manchester university, which was published in October last year, found that SEAL failed to impact significantly upon pupils' social and emotional skills, general mental health difficulties, pro-social behaviour or behaviour problems. The evaluation can be accessed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR049
	An evaluation of primary SEAL was published in 2008, focusing on small group work, found mixed evidence for the effectiveness of the small group work. The review can be accessed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DCSF-RB064

Primary Education: Literacy

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department plans to provide for the Reading Recovery programme up to 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Funding for the Every Child programmes has been mainstreamed as part of the Dedicated Schools Grant, and will be protected at current levels for the next three years up to 2014. This includes Every Child a Reader (ECaR), which has Reading Recovery at its core.
	In addition, as set out in the recent Green Paper, “Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability”, the Government will provide modest funding to facilitate the transition to the open market of the ECaR programme over the next three years. By 2015 the intention is that the programme should be operating without central Government support.

Students: Finance

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he has allocated to (a) £1,200 bursaries, (b) students currently in receipt of education maintenance allowance and (c) students eligible for free school meals from the discretionary learner support fund.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 April 2011
	We expect the cost of providing a £1,200 bursary to the most vulnerable young people to be just under £15 million in 2011/12. In addition, £101.1 million in 2011/12 will be allocated to schools, colleges and training providers for them to make discretionary awards from the 16-19 Bursary Fund, including to young people who were eligible for free school meals in year 11. Transitional support for young people currently in receipt of education maintenance allowance is expected to cost £194.2 million in 2011/12.

Unemployment: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss the effects of the Government’s policies on non-departmental public bodies in the education sector on the unemployment rate in Coventry.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 3 May 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 24 March 2011, Official Report, column 1262W. The Department is still working through the details of the proposed changes to the non-departmental bodies for which it is responsible, it cannot say, at this stage, what effect the creation of the agencies will have on the unemployment rate in Coventry. Once the position is clear my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education would be happy to meet with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, should that be appropriate.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) evaluated on (i) the earliest point in its development an unborn child will experience pain, (ii) the earliest gestational age at which an unborn child may be capable of being born alive, (iii) the number of occasions when an unborn baby is wrongly diagnosed as being handicapped and is subsequently born without disability or handicap and (iv) the suicide rate among women who have had an abortion since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department commissioned the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to update its 1997 report ‘Fetal Awareness, Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’, which was published in 2010, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. After reviewing the available evidence, the working party concluded that before 24 weeks gestation the nervous system has not developed sufficiently to allow the foetus to experience pain.
	The British Association of Perinatal Medicine published guidance in October 2008 entitled ‘The Management of Babies born Extremely Preterm at less than 26 weeks of gestation: A Framework for Clinical Practice at the time of Birth,’ which is based on the latest evidence and best practice, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The guidance states that if gestational age is certain and less than 23 weeks it would be considered in the best interests of the baby for resuscitation not to be carried out.
	Data are not available on suicides following abortion, as a death certificate does not record whether a woman has had an abortion and death records are not routinely linked to other medical records. However, there is currently no strong evidence to suggest that women who have had an abortion are high risk for suicide.
	The Department does not collect information on the number of occasions when an unborn baby is diagnosed as being handicapped and is subsequently born without disability or handicap.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which private sector clinics and hospitals provide abortions; how many beds there are in each facility; whether each facility is approved for (a) surgical day care abortions with or without general anaesthetic and (b) late abortions; and what the name is of the proprietor of each facility.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State has the power under Section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967 to approve premises for the treatment of termination of pregnancy. Information on those independent sector clinics that have been approved to carry out termination of pregnancy is shown in the following table.
	The Department no longer routinely collects information on how many beds there are in each facility.
	
		
			 Name of clinic Proprietor Undertakes surgical day care abortions with or without general anaesthetic Performs terminations up to 24 weeks gestation 
			 BMI The Blackheath Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BMI The Cavell Hospital (North London) BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BMI The Chaucer Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BMI The Droitwich Spa Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BMI Gisburne Park Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd — — 
			 BMI The Park Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BMI Three Shires Hospital Three Shires Hospital Charity — — 
			 BMI The Sandringham Hospital BMI Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 BPAS Basingstoke BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Blackdown Clinic BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Cannock Clinic BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Central Birmingham Clinic BPAS Yes Yes 
			 BPAS Central London Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Coventry Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Danum Lodge Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Dean Park Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Hastings BPAS Yes Yes 
			 BPAS High Wycombe Unit BPAS Yes Yes 
			 BPAS Leeds Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Leigham Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Luton Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Merseyside Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Milton Keynes DCU BPAS Yes Yes 
			 BPAS Newcastle Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS North London Day Surgery Unit BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Peterborough Clinic BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Robert Clinic BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Rosslyn Clinic BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Stafford Clinic BPAS — — 
		
	
	
		
			 BPAS Swindon Clinic BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Tamworth Daycare Unit BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Torquay North BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Torquay Treatment Unit BPAS — — 
			 BPAS Wistons Clinic BPAS Yes — 
			 BPAS Wolverhampton Day Care Unit BPAS Yes — 
			 Central Wolverhampton Clinic (Calthorpe) Fraterdrive Ltd Yes — 
			 South Manchester Private Clinic Fraterdrive Ltd Yes — 
			 Fraterdrive Manchester Fraterdrive Ltd — — 
			 Stoke Pregnancy Advisory Service Fraterdrive Ltd — — 
			 Fraterdrive Bolton Fraterdrive Ltd — — 
			 The Portland Hospital HCA International Ltd Yes — 
			 The Wellington Hospital HCA International Ltd — — 
			 Marie Stopes Blackpool Centre Marie Stopes International — — 
			 Marie Stopes Bristol Centre Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes Canterbury Centre Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes Crawley Centre Marie Stopes International — — 
			 Marie Stopes Essex Centre Marie Stopes International Yes Yes 
			 Marie Stopes House Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes Leeds Centre Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes Maidstone Centre Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes Manchester International Centre Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes North London Centre, Edgware Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes Preston Centre Marie Stopes International — — 
			 Marie Stopes Reading Centre Marie Stopes International Yes — 
			 Marie Stopes South London Centre Marie Stopes International Yes Yes 
			 Marie Stopes Wakefield Centre Marie Stopes International — — 
			 Marie Stones West London Centre Marie Stopes International Yes Yes 
			 Nottingham NHS Treatment Centre Nations Health Care Ltd Yes Yes 
			 Nuffield Health Hereford Centre Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health Ipswich Centre Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health North Staffordshire Hospital Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health Plymouth Hospital Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health Shrewsbury Hospital Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Nuffield Health The Manor Hospital Nuffield Health Yes — 
			 Southampton NHS Treatment Centre Partnership Health Group Ltd Yes — 
			 Bodmin NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Ltd Yes — 
			 Duchy Hospital Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Ltd Yes — 
			 Fitzwilliam Hospital Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Ltd Yes — 
			 Pinehill Hospital Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Ltd Yes Yes 
			 Rivers Hospital Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Ltd Yes — 
			 Spire Alexandra Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 Spire Bristol Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 Spire Bushey Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 Spire Cheshire Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 Spire Leicester Hospital Spire Healthcare Limited Yes — 
			 Spire Murrayfield Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes Yes 
			 Spire Washington Hospital Spire Healthcare Ltd Yes — 
			 The Calthorpe Clinic The Calthorpe Clinic Ltd Yes Yes 
			 Source: Department of Health Abortion Act 1967 Application for Approval form

Alzheimer’s Disease: Carers

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training and support the NHS makes available for carers to improve care for those living with Alzheimer’s.

Paul Burstow: This Government recognises the valuable role played by people who care for those living with Alzheimer’s.
	While there is no specific provision available for carers of those living with Alzheimer’s, the Government’s updated Carers Strategy, “Recognised, valued and supported: Next steps for the Carers Strategy”, sets out the overarching priority areas for action over the next four years to support all carers in their caring role, which may include those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. This includes the provision of personalised support for carers and those they support and supporting carers to remain mentally and physically well.
	The Department is investing additional funding of £400 million to the national health service over the next four years to enable more carers to take breaks from their caring responsibilities, which may include carers of those living with Alzheimer’s.
	The “Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011-12” says that:
	“It has not always been apparent how funding to support carers has been used in each PCT. The spending review has made available additional funding in PCT baselines to support the provision of breaks for carers. PCTs should pool budgets with local authorities to provide carers’ breaks, as far as possible, via direct payments or personal health budgets. For 2011-12, PCTs should agree policies, plans and budgets to support carers with local authorities and local carers’ organisations, and make them available to local people.”

Ambulance Services: Greater London

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to the London Ambulance Service during the comprehensive spending review period; what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in the budget on (a) the number of frontline jobs and (b) standards of care; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally. The majority of funding for Ambulance Services is through General Allocations. Primary care trust (PCT) recurrent revenue allocations are not broken down by service or policy area. It is for PCTs to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
	Every penny saved should be reinvested in improving patient care and the national health service must cut back on bureaucracy. Efficiency savings must not impact adversely on patient care.

Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the average stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis for people aged (a) 49 years and under, (b) 50 to 59, (c) 60 to 69, (d) 70 to 79 and (e) over 80 years in each (i) cancer network and (ii) primary care trust in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made of the average stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis by age, cancer network and primary care trust. We recognise that there are gaps in the data recorded about cancer patients, including incomplete recording of data on the stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis.
	Collecting and analysing staging data will enable us to monitor progress in improving cancer survival rates and to target interventions more effectively.
	‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’ (January 2011), a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, said that the Department will take action to improve the recording of cancer stage. The ‘Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011/12’ has made it clear that providers are expected to include staging data in the information they feed to cancer registries. The core service specification for cancer registries for 2011-12 is being amended to require registries to improve their recording of stage to the level of the current best.

Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department is providing to the National Cancer Equality Initiative for the purposes of ensuring that measures to reduce inequality are embedded into all aspects of cancer service delivery.

Paul Burstow: “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” (January 2011) makes clear that tackling health inequalities is essential to improving outcomes and achieving cancer survival rates which match the best performing countries in the world. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	The strategy makes a commitment to deliver survival rates as good as the European average by 2014-15. The national health service will have to embed measures to reduce inequalities in cancer care in order to deliver on this commitment. National support is provided and funded through the National Cancer Intelligence Network, particularly the Equality Portal which provides localised data on the equality metrics, and the National Cancer Action Team. A programme of work, based on the commitments set out in the strategy, has been agreed for 2011-12.

Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of proposals by the National Cancer Intelligence Network to analyse existing cancer data sets according to the rurality of a patient's home address;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of proposals by the National Cancer Intelligence Network to collect information on (a) patient disability and (b) patients' sexual orientation; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) published a data briefing in April 2011 describing the effect of rurality on cancer incidence and mortality. During 2011-12 the NCIN will be investigating what further analyses are practical with regard to rurality and cancer, in particular relating to access to specialist treatment services such as radiotherapy.
	The recent results of the national Cancer Patient Experience survey 2010 provided invaluable insights into equality issues. Patients were asked about any disabilities they had. For the first time we also asked patients about their sexual orientation. People with a disability or long term condition reported a less positive experience than other patients across a wide range of issues measured in the survey. This was particularly marked for patients with a mental health condition or a learning disability. Non-heterosexual patients reported less positive experience, especially in relation to communication and being treated with respect and dignity.

Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the National Cancer Intelligence Network's cancer equalities portal; and if he will assess how his Department is using the portal to increase equality in the delivery of cancer care.

Paul Burstow: The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) established the Equalities Portal in March 2010. The portal brings together a range of equality metrics, with the aim of informing action to tackle inequalities in cancer services. Since its launch the portal has been accessed around 2,000 times. The portal is available on the internet to professionals and the public, and has been widely advertised at national and local events. The portal has also been referenced in national and local guidance (such as the Local Awareness and Early Diagnosis Baseline Guide). An accompanying “Evidence Guide” published by the NCIN in November 2010 has been downloaded 170 times.

Cancer: Drugs

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of levels of variation in the way the interim Cancer Drugs Fund has been spent and administered by different NHS trusts.

Paul Burstow: The Department put in place arrangements to monitor use of the £50 million additional funding for cancer drugs provided in 2010-11.
	In addition, we have developed ‘Guidance to support operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2011-12’. In doing so, we have drawn on strategic health authorities' experience of operating the arrangements put in place for allocating the additional funding made available in 2010-11, alongside feedback gathered during the public consultation on our proposals for the Cancer Drugs Fund. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	The document ‘The Cancer Drugs Fund: Government response to consultation’ was published on 1 April 2011 alongside the launch of the fund. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Cancer: Health Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future commissioning of the publication of cancer outcome data which are not included in the NHS outcome frameworks.

Paul Burstow: We are committed to improving outcomes for all cancers and “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” (January 2011), a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, set out how we will achieve this. The Office for National Statistics routinely publishes data on cancer mortality and survival rates. There is a range of other outcomes data that we have previously published and which we intend to publish in the future. For example, the patient experience survey in 2010 included outcomes data in relation to patient experience, and we intend repeating this survey in 2011-12, but the indicators have yet to be determined. We are likely to also publish cancer outcomes data in relation to the Public Health Outcomes Framework.
	Working with a number of other countries, we are running the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership project which is collecting international cancer outcomes data. Some of the results have already been published and we expect to publish more data in due course.
	The Strategy also includes a commitment to publish annual reports to measure progress on implementation and on improving cancer outcomes.

Cancer: Research

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department allocated to research into cancer in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The most recent available figures for departmental expenditure on cancer research are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2005-06 168 
			 2006-07 161 
			 2007-08 159 
			 2008-09 134 
			 2009-10 91

Cancer: Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution (a) the National Commissioning Board and (b) GP consortia will make to promoting cancer research under his proposals for NHS reform.

Paul Burstow: The Department is fully committed to clinical and applied research into cancer.
	Clause 13 of the Health and Social Care Bill provides a power that the National Health Service Commissioning Board or a commissioning consortium may conduct, commission or assist the conduct of research into any matters relating to the causation, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness.
	Clause 19 of the Bill includes a duty that the Board must, in the exercise of its functions, have regard to the need to promote research on matters relevant to the health service, and the use in the health service of evidence obtained from research.

Cataracts: Surgery

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cataract operations were carried out on NHS patients by the private sector in each year since 1996-97 for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The following table provided by the Information Centre for health and social care shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for cataract surgery performed by independent sector providers, commissioned by the national health service, for the years 2003-04 to 2009-10. Data are not available prior to 2003-04.
	
		
			  Total episodes   (1) 
			 2003-04 120 
			 2004-05 559 
			 2005-06 124 
			 2006-07 6,964 
			 2007-08 7,462 
			 2008-09 11,500 
			 2009-10 16,370 
			 (1) The figures do not represent the number of different patients, as the same person may be admitted on more than one occasion. Note: Changes to the figures over time should be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice.

Clinical Trials

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the level of equality in access to clinical trials; and what steps he is taking to increase access for certain patient groups.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made any such assessment. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) provides health service infrastructure to support clinical trials and other well designed studies in the national health service in England. Currently 97% of NHS trusts are recruiting into NIHR CRN studies.
	The Government are committed to opening up information about clinical trials so that patients can find out about trials that may be relevant to their condition. The NIHR is developing a web-based UK Clinical Trials Gateway. It will present, in accessible form, information about trials conducted in the United Kingdom. By 2012, the Gateway will make it easy for patients, their doctors and carers, friends and families to see what a trial is about, where it is taking place, and who is running it. It will help patients to join in clinical trials if they are suitable and choose to do so with full information and advice.
	The NIHR encourages patients and the public to be actively involved in all NIHR-funded health and social care research. The NIHR funds Involve which promotes active public participation in NHS, public health and social care research to improve the way that research is prioritised, commissioned, undertaken, communicated and used.

Clostridium

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of patients treated for clostridium difficile who experience a recurrence of symptoms; what research he has evaluated on any link between recurrence and reinfection; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Data on recurrences of Clostridium difficile infection are not collected centrally. The symptoms of initial infection, recurrence of infection and re-infection is similar. Differentiation between recurrence of infection and re-infection requires culture and characterization of the causative strain(s) of Clostridium difficile. This is not routinely undertaken, as diagnoses are often based on the detection of Clostridium difficile toxins, rather than microbiological culture. However, studies typically show that approximately a quarter of individuals with Clostridium difficile Infection experience a recurrence of their symptoms. In about half of these recurrences a different strain (ie re-infection) is the cause, with the others due to relapse from the original strain. The best solution is to prevent these infections by adhering to the Department of Health/Health Protection Agency guidance on managing this infection Clostridium difficile infection: How to deal with the problem. A copy of the guidance has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1232006607827

Dementia: Research

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will prioritise pre-clinical and basic research into cause, diagnosis and early stage treatment when allocating funding for research into dementia;
	(2)  whether he has any plans to reallocate dementia research funding between research bodies;
	(3)  what plans he has to take forward the work of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Dementia Research after its conclusion.

Paul Burstow: Dementia is a research priority for the Government and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has issued a themed call on dementia. This call extends across the translational pathway, covering the fields of cause, cure and care, including prevention.
	The importance the Government places on dementia research has been reflected by the formation of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Dementia Research. This Group has now completed its work and produced a comprehensive set of proposals. These will be set out in a “Route Map for Dementia Research”, to be published after the summer recess.
	The Department funds research through the NIHR and the Department's Policy Research programme. It is not responsible for other research funding bodies.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Simon Burns: The Department takes part in a number of schemes offering intern placements to students expressing an interest in working in government. The Summer Placement Scheme offers placements to those of different ethnic backgrounds and to those with disabilities. Last year, the Department had two summer interns from this programme. The Department also engages in an annual eight-week placement for NHS management trainees and last year we took on 10 trainees. There were also four student analysts and one finance student awarded short-term contracts to help enhance their work experience and aid their academic studies. All are offered support prior to, and after they arrive and feedback is provided on how well they performed during their time in the Department. Placements for these schemes are offered via universities, the national health service and the Cabinet Office who also provide a range of advice and attend career fairs to attract interest in working in government.
	The Department has a work experience policy, which was published early this year. The policy sets out the criteria and processes that support setting up and managing work experience placements. Work experience placement requests are handled locally by managers in the Department.
	The Department is not currently hosting any volunteers. The Department does have a policy of encouraging its own staff to engage in voluntary work outside the Department.

Departmental Work Experience

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students from (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in his Department since 8 May 2010.

Simon Burns: Since 8 May 2010, the Department recruited four analyst students on one year fixed term contracts and one finance student on a two month fixed term contract. The Department also took part in the annual Cabinet Office cohort led ethnic and disabled Summer Placement Schemes, recruiting two candidates to fulfil an eight week placement.
	The Department also engages in an annual eight week placement for NHS management trainees. 10 national health service trainees worked in the Department during this time.
	All of the placements were from the United Kingdom and our records show none lived in the Bassetlaw constituency.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many 084 telephone numbers are in use by GP surgeries in (a) Hampshire and (b) Southampton.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally. The Department does not require primary care trusts to have a record of those practices using 084 numbers.

Health Professions: Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated for nursing, midwifery and other allied health professional education in each region in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; how much funding he expects to be so allocated in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Funding of education and training for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals is issued to strategic health authorities (SHAs) through the multi professional education and training (MPET) budget. MPET is not ring-fenced by profession and it is the responsibility of SHAs to invest the budget to ensure the correct number of training places are available to meet the needs of the local population.

Health Professions: Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many places at each university in England there were for nursery, midwifery and other allied health professional education in (a) pre-registration education, (b) post-registration education, (c) continuing professional development in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; how many such places he expects there to be in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13 and (C) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Information on nursing, midwifery and allied health professional places at universities is not collected by the Department. It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities to individually manage contracts with higher education institutions based on local work force planning and education commissioning decisions.

Health Services: Equality

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage multi-disciplinary teams to undertake patient-level equality audits.

Paul Burstow: ‘Reducing cancer inequality: evidence, progress and making it happen’, the March 2010 report of the National Cancer Equality Initiative (NCEI), said that it would be good practice for multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) to undertake equality audits, reflecting annually on their practice and documenting their findings. It set out plans to support this. ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’ (January 2011) said that patient characteristic profiles would be made available to MDTs and that, in future, MDT health equality audits would form part of the National Cancer Peer Review Programme.
	The annual self-assessment for peer review, introduced this year, requires that MDTs answer the question “How many patients by equality characteristic (race, age and gender) were diagnosed/treated in the previous year?” as one of the MDT key themes covering the structure and function of the service.
	Working with the National Cancer Intelligence Network and the National Cancer Action Team, NCEI is investigating what support might be provided to MDTs to undertake patient-level equality audits.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions his Department have had with (a) the Department for Education, (b) the Department for Communities and Local Government, (c) the Local Government Association and (d) other organisations on adaptation of policies and procedures used in children's services for use with adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received on the adaptation of policies and procedures used in children's services for use with adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that policies and procedures used in children's services are adequately adapted for use with adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) assess the adaptation of policies and procedures used in children's services for use with adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Following the publication of Professor Mansell's report ‘Raising Our Sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities’ which was commissioned by this Department, departmental officials have had general discussions with key partners, including the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Communities and Local Government, regarding the report's recommendations. However, no discussion has taken place on the specific issue about adaptation of policies and procedures used in children's services for use with adults who have profound and multiple learning disabilities. Neither have we received any representations on this issue.
	Departmental officials have worked closely with DfE officials to build the learning from the Valuing People Now employment work in to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper ‘Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability’. The Green Paper focuses on improving employment and other life outcomes and takes forward learning from the Getting a Life project—aimed at young people with severe learning disabilities leaving education.
	The Government's response to Professor Mansell's report highlighted our commitment to improving outcomes for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Health Services: Oxfordshire

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical and (b) non-medical staff were employed by (i) John Radcliffe hospital, (iii) NHS Oxfordshire primary care trust and (iii) the NHS in Oxfordshire in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The number of medical and non-medical staff employed by John Radcliffe hospital and Oxfordshire primary care trust (PCT) and the national health service in Oxfordshire in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in each specified organisation by main staff group as at 30 September each year 
			 Headcount 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Total specified organisations :  15,738 15,534 16,905 17,793 17,745 
			 Medical and Dental staff 1,620 1,785 2,027 2,124 1,715 
			 Non-Medical Staff 14,118 13,749 14,878 15,669 16,030 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust  935 899 882 977 936 
			 Medical and Dental staff 86 72 99 108 104 
			 Non-Medical Staff 849 827 783 869 832 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust  8,987 8,514 9,278 9,847 9,697 
			 Medical and Dental staff 1,235 1,399 1,636 1,732 1,356 
			 Non-Medical Staff 7,752 7,115 7,642 8,115 8,341 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 2,329 2,355 2,812 2,706 2,810 
			 Medical and Dental staff 95 98 83 77 55 
			 Non-Medical Staff 2,234 2,257 2,729 2,629 2,755 
			 Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust  1,129 1,147 1,164 1,166 1,112 
			 Medical and Dental staff 31 32 29 27 29 
			 Non-Medical Staff 1,098 1,115 1,135 1,139 1,083 
			 Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust  2,358 2,619 2,769 3,097 3,229 
			 Medical and Dental staff '173 184 180 180 171 
			 Non-Medical Staff 2,185 2,435 2,589 2,917 3,058 
			 Notes: 1. The new headcount methodology for 2010 data is not fully comparable with previous years data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication here: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-numbers Headcount numbers in 2010 have also for some trusts been affected by clarification of the hosting arrangements for medical and dental staff. 2. Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Health Services: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bowel cancer screening appointments are outstanding at University Hospital North Staffordshire; what recent estimate has been made of average (a) waiting times and (b) times taken for results to be processed in respect of such appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The information is not held by the Department in the format requested. More information on the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme can be found on the website at:
	www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel/index.html

Health Services: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is available for (a) hip and (b) knee replacement operations at University Hospital North Staffordshire.

Simon Burns: This information is not centrally collected. It is the responsibility of the local national health service to assess the effectiveness of the services it provides and ensure that appropriate services are accessible to its local population.

Health Services: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the staffing establishment is for each grade of health professional in maternity services at University Hospital North Staffordshire; what the current vacancy list is; what assessment has been made of future resourcing needs; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This information is not available in the format requested.
	The number of medical staff in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialty and non-medical maternity services staff in the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust as at 30 September 2010 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Headcount 
			 Medical staff in Obstetrics and Gynaecology  37 
			 Consultant 12 
			 Registrar group 21 
			 Senior house officer 1 
			 Foundation year 2 1 
			 House officer and foundation year 1 2 
			   
			 All  n on- m edical  m aternity  s ervices staff  391 
			   
			 Qualified  m aternity  s ervices staff 305 
			 Modern matron 3 
			 Manager 2 
			 Registered midwife 240 
			 Other 1st level nursing 59 
			 Other 2nd level nursing 1 
			   
			 Unqualified  m aternity  s ervices staff  86 
			 Nursery nurse 5 
			 Healthcare assistant 81 
		
	
	The University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust reported one vacancy for a consultant in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty, and no vacancies for midwives in the March 2010 vacancies survey. The vacancies survey does not isolate any other obstetrics and gynaecology staff or non-medical maternity services staff. March 2010 is the latest available vacancy data.
	It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to plan and deliver a workforce appropriate to the needs of their local population, based on clinical need and sound evidence.

Hospitals: Closures

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent NHS hospitals from closing.

Simon Burns: We are taking the opportunity of a natural break in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to pause, listen, reflect and improve.
	We will hold a series of events, led by the NHS Future Forum, to hear from the public, patients and a range of people working right at the frontline, and speak directly to those who lead our national health service,
	Public accountability and patient involvement is one of the four areas we are focusing on during the Listening Exercise. We want to ensure we make the NHS properly accountable to the public, and put patient involvement at the heart of decision making. We will then decide how to take forward the Bill in a way that reflects what we have heard.
	Under the proposals currently set out in the Health and Social Care Bill, commissioners would remain responsible for securing continued provision of NHS services to meet the needs of their populations. We are proposing to support commissioners in this by introducing a comprehensive system of regulation at national level and additional regulation of ‘designated services’.
	Commissioners would consult with local communities and apply for local services to be ‘designated’, as subject to additional regulation, where the withdrawal of those services would impact adversely on health and where there are no alternative providers. This would ensure patients in England have continued access to designated services, wherever they happen to live.

Low Associates

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) he and (b) any other representative of the Department has hosted any meeting with (i) Low Associates and (ii) any client of Low Associates in the last six months.

Simon Burns: Neither the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), or any of his ministerial colleagues have had any meetings with Low Associates. My right hon. Friend has formally declared his wife's position as managing director of Low Associates to the permanent secretary (which was subsequently included in the List of Ministers' Interests published on the Cabinet Office website) and taken appropriate steps to avoid any conflict of interest with his ministerial duties. All ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Department's website.
	It would incur disproportionate cost to check whether any officials from the Department have met with Low Associates. The Department does not hold details of Low Associates' clients.

Medical Equipment: Counterfeit Manufacturing

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the safety of counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors found in NHS hospitals;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to withdraw counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors which have been found in NHS hospitals;
	(3)  how many counterfeit items of medical equipment have been found in NHS hospitals in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(4)  what communication the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has received from other EU countries on the circulation of counterfeit medical equipment to hospitals;
	(5)  pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 666W, on medical equipment: counterfeit manufacturing, whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has received any recent reports of counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors that have been found to be unsafe.

Simon Burns: We hold no information on the accuracy and safety of the counterfeit devices in question, as they have not been validated through the genuine manufacturers' conformity assessment procedures. All such devices should be quarantined and returned to the manufacturer of the genuine product for authentication.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a Medical Devices Alert to all national health service trusts which requests withdrawal of these counterfeit devices from NHS hospitals and their return to the manufacturers of the legitimate products and that MHRA are informed.
	The number of counterfeit medical devices that have been found to have reached the NHS supply chain in the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009 (1)110,000 
			 2010 0 
			 2011 306 
			 (1) The 2009 figure consists of a single large seizure of a high volume consumable device which could distort the overall extent of the problem. 
		
	
	Under the Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EC, member states are required to share information on serious incidents and recalls of medical devices with other member states where the products are marketed. Administrative systems also exist to exchange information, liaise and collaborate with other member states on compliance matters including instances of counterfeit medical equipment found in the supply chain.
	No recent reports have been made to the MHRA of counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors having been found to be unsafe.

Mental Illness

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) England, (b) Newham and (c) West Ham constituency were diagnosed with a mental illness in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011 to date.

Paul Burstow: The information is not collected in the format requested. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes for the most recent periods available. Figures are broken down to primary care trust (PCT) populations and cannot be separated out further.
	
		
			 Number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a mental health primary diagnosis (ICD-10 codes F00-F99) by year 
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 
			 England 218,924 211,408 205,869 204,800 
			 Newham PCT 1,322 1,356 1,264 1,545 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Neurological Conditions: Health Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the location is of each NHS specialist neurological unit.

Paul Burstow: Information on the location of each specialist neurological unit is not collected centrally.

NHS: Complaints

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of complaints referred to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman were upheld in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of both the Department and the Government and it is therefore not usually appropriate for officials and Ministers to answer on behalf of the PHSO.
	However, in these circumstances the information is available in the public domain and can be provided.
	The most recent data that has been published is for 2009-10. This was published in the PHSO's annual report (Listening and Learning the Ombudsman's review of complaint handling in the NHS 2009-10).
	In 2009-10, PHSO received 14,429 health complaints.
	In 2009-10, PHSO reported on 180 investigation complaints, of which 113 (63%)
	were upheld.

NHS: Complaints

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time taken to complete an independent investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of both the Department and the Government and it is therefore not usually appropriate for officials and Ministers to answer on behalf of the PHSO.
	However, in these circumstances the information is available in the public domain and can be provided.
	In 2009-10, the PHSO set a target to conclude 55%, of all investigations within 12 months: This includes both health and parliamentary investigations.
	In 2009-10, the PHSO concluded 65%, of investigations (health and parliamentary) within 12 months.
	The target for 2010-11 is to complete 90%, of investigations within 12 months.

NHS: Manpower

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of NHS staff in England were doctors in (a) 1981, (b) 1990, (c) 2000 and (d) 2010;
	(2)  how many nurses worked in the NHS in England in (a) 1981, (b) 1985, (c) 1990, (d) 1995, (e) 2000, (f) 2005 and (g) 2010;
	(3)  what proportion of NHS staff in England were nurses in (a) 1981, (b) 1990, (c) 2000 and (d) 2010;
	(4)  how many doctors worked in the NHS in England in the years (a) 1981, (b) 1985, (c) 1990, (d) 1995, (e) 2000, (f) 2005 and (g) 2010.

Simon Burns: Comparable figures for all national health service staff numbers are not available for 1981, 1985 and 1990. Prior to 1995 the NHS workforce was monitored on an entirely different basis relating to pay scales which would result in the information captured for Medical and Dental and Non-Medical Hospital and Community Health Services staff (the majority of NHS) not being comparable to the data collected since then.
	Because of this step change in the way in which the data was recorded and collected it has been standard practice not to provide time series on the NHS workforce that predate the 1995 improvements to methodology as these figures are confusing and do not represent a fair or accurate figure.
	The following table gives the number of staff employed in the specialities requested in 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010.
	
		
			 Numbers of doctors and nurses in the NHS and their proportion of total staff in England for selected years 
			  1995 2000 2005 2010   (1) 
			 All NHS Staff(2,3)  1,052,428 1,117,841 1,365,388 1,431,145 
			 Proportion of which Doctors (percentage) 8.0 8.6 9.0 9.8 
			 Proportion of which Nurses (percentage) 30.1 30.1 29.6 28.7 
			      
			 All Doctors(2,3)  84,459 96,319 122,345 140,914 
			 Of which:      
			 General Practitioners (GPs) (excluding retainers)(2)  28,869 30,252 35,302 38,997 
			 All Medical and Dental Staff(3)  55,590 66,067 87,043 101,917 
			      
			 Total Qualified Nursing Staff 316,893 335,952 404,161 410,615 
			 Of which:      
			 Qualified Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) nurses (including qualified bank nurses) 298,650 316,752 381,257 389,290 
			 GP Practice Nurses 18,243 19,200 22,904 21,325 
			 (1) The new headcount methodology for 2010 data is not fully comparable with previous years data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication here: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/010_Workforce/nhsstaff0010/Census_Bulletin_March_2011_Final.pdf Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. (2) GP Retainers were first collected in 1999 and have been omitted from the time series for comparability purposes. (3) Excludes medical Hospital Practitioners and medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. Notes: 1. Comparable figures for NHS Staff figures are not available for 1981,1985 and 1990. 2. Data as at 30 September each year for Medical and Dental workforce figures and Non-Medical figures. 3. Data as at 1 October 1995 and 30 September 2000-2010 for GP workforce figures.

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients receiving NHS treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma in England per head of the population in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made of the number of patients receiving national health service treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in England per head of population as information is not collected in this format. Information regarding finished consultant episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from 2005-06 to 2009-10 is provided in the following table.
	We know that in 2008, there were just over 9,000 newly diagnosed cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” (January 2011) set out a range of measures to improve outcomes for all patients, including those diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The strategy is backed by more than £750 million over the next four years. It sets out our plans to improve earlier diagnosis, access to screening, treatment, patients' experience of care and the quality of life for cancer survivors.
	
		
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Finished consultant episodes (FCEs) 
			 2009-10 107,150 
			 2008-09 102,561 
			 2007-08 101,059 
			 2006-07 97,081 
			 2005-06 92,237 
			 Notes: 1. FCE: A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. 2. Data quality: The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. ICD-10 codes used for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: C82—Follicular (nodular) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma C83—Diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphoma C85—Other and unspecified types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 3. Assessing growth through time: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 4. Activity included: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. 5. Source statement: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the list of specified conditions that qualify patients for a medical exemption certificate.

Simon Burns: In 2009, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore carried out a review to consider how to extend free prescriptions to all those with long-term conditions. This review made a number of proposals, and was published in May 2010 by the Government.
	We announced in the spending review that to ensure spending in the national health service is focused on priorities, some programmes announced by the previous Government would not be implemented—including proposals to extend free prescriptions to all those with long-term conditions.
	We are continuing to explore options for reforming the current prescription charging arrangements taking into account the financial context. We have no current plans for a further review of prescription charges.

Prosthetics

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in England with lost limbs in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Central data are not collected about the numbers of people with limb loss, although data provided through the Hospital Episodes Statistics show that nearly 6,000 finished consultant episodes recorded limb amputation during 2009-10.
	Information gathered in 2008, involving voluntary organisations, estimated there are about 60,000 people with prostheses and about 10,000 of them have upper limb prostheses.

St Helens and Whiston Hospital Trust

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the details of the proposed tripartite agreement between St Helens and Whiston Hospital Trust, the strategic health authority and his Department which outlines the options to deal with that trust's budget deficit.

Simon Burns: Tripartite formal agreements (TFAs) are an integral part of ensuring that all national health service trusts submit an application for foundation trust (FT) status to the Department by 1 April 2013 in their own right, or another solution is identified and implemented so that they achieve FT status by 1 April 2014.
	The agreements will identify the issues each NHS trust faces and the actions that will establish them as sustainable providers of high quality health care services. These developments will enable them to meet the demanding requirements needed to achieve FT status.
	Work on the TFA between St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, North West Strategic Health Authority and the Department has not yet been completed. When it has been finalised and the agreement has been signed by all parties, the trust will publish the agreement on their website.

Tobacco: EU Law

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's response to the consultation on the possible revision of the Tobacco Products Directive.

Anne Milton: The Government's response to the European Commission's consultation on the possible revision to the European Union tobacco products directive has been placed in the Library.